Overview
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn which aspects of distress intolerance (i.e., difficulties withstanding upsetting emotional states) are the most important for improving effective emotion regulation and associated mental health symptoms.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
How are willingness to feel upset and self-efficacy for withstanding distress associated with different emotion regulation strategies used in daily life?
Does targeting willingness to feel upset and/or self-efficacy for withstanding distress help people use more effective emotion regulation strategies in daily life when they feel upset?
Are improvements in emotion regulation strategies in daily life associated with fewer symptoms of mental health problems over time?
Participants will:
Answer questions about their moods, willingness to feel upset, self-efficacy for withstanding distress and emotion regulation strategies for three weeks using a cell phone app
Undergo a willingness, self-efficacy, combined or psychoeducational control intervention in the lab
Be prompted to use the intervention skill via the cell phone app during the second week, after the intervention
Complete weekly reports of mental health symptoms
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Fluent in English
- Uses Android or iPhone smartphone
- Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) scores of 42 and higher
- Distress Intolerance Index (DII) scores of 3 or higher
Exclusion Criteria:
- Work or School that does not allow consistent access to phone (or is unsafe)
- No internet access for completing follow-up surveys