INTERACTIONS AMONG PERSONALITY TRAITS, DAILY SITUATION EXPERIENCE, AND DIFFICULTIES WITH EMOTION REGULATION

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship among Alternative Model of Personality Disorder (AMPD) traits, daily situation experience, and state-based difficulties with emotion regulation. College student participants (N = 309) were assessed on AMPD traits along with seven situation assessments. Additive and multiplicative effects between traits and daily situations were examined, with the latter effect testing for the hypothesis that certain traits might amplify the negative impact of certain situations on difficulties with emotion regulation. Multilevel analyses indicated that the day-to-day state-based difficulties with emotion regulation were positively associated with AMPD traits and daily adverse situations, and negatively associated with daily positive and socially rewarding situations. Exploratory analyses indicated only one cross-level interaction between AMPD trait Detachment and daily adverse situation on daily emotion regulation difficulties. The results suggest that AMPD traits and situations exerted largely independent effects on difficulties with emotion regulation, thereby providing limited support for the amplification hypothesis.