Beyond Self-Report: Performance Measures of Emotional Competencies Predict Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety, Physical
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Beyond Self-Report: Performance Measures of Emotional Competencies Predict Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety, Physical Symptoms, Self-Rated Health, and Immunoregulatory Molecules Natalie L. Tuck, PGDipSci 1 & Rosemary C. I. Grant 2 & Amy Jackson, MSc 1 & Anna E. S. Brooks, PhD 3 & Nathan S. Consedine, PhD 1,4
Published online: 20 June 2016 # The Society of Behavioral Medicine 2016
Abstract Background Most work testing links between emotional competencies and health has focused on self-reported and/or trait assessments. However, more objective assessments of skills and knowledge may also predict health relevant outcomes. Purpose The current study investigated whether performance-based tests of emotional knowledge and expressive skill predicted symptoms of depression and anxiety, selfreported physical symptoms, perceived health, and a range of immunoregulatory molecules. Methods Eighty females aged 18–35 completed self-report assessments before attending a testing session in which they provided blood samples and completed performance-based assessments of expressive skill and emotional knowledge. Results Greater expressive skill predicted better self-reported outcomes, but links to immunoregulatory molecules were mixed. Expressive skill for contempt and anger predicted higher, whereas skill for happiness predicted lower, concentrations of immunoregulatory molecules.
* Nathan S. Consedine [email protected] 1
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
2
School of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
3
School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
4
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Level 12, Support Building, Room 12.044, Auckland, New Zealand
Conclusions These data highlight the need to extend research beyond self-reported emotional competencies and suggest that performance-based skill and knowledge metrics may be associated with health relevant outcomes. Keywords Emotions . Health . Emotional competencies . Depression . Inflammation . Facial expression
Introduction Emotional competencies (ECs) reflect individual differences in the ability to perceive, understand, and regulate both the experience and the expression of emotions [1]. The tripartite model of ECs distinguishes between traits, knowledge, and skills [1, 2], with trait ECs representing the way in which individuals typically behave, knowledge capturing what individuals know or understand about their own and others’ emotions, and skills referring to what individuals are capable of doing [1]. For example, a person may often smile (trait) and know that he/she should look happy when congratulating a colleague for a promotion (knowledge), but may, or may not, be able to generate a convincing smile in the moment (skill). Importantly, although traits, knowledge, and skills are related, they are also distinct. For example, knowledge regarding how to best regulate emotional experiences or expressions does not always translate into the
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