Effectiveness of an Ecological Momentary Emotion Regulation Intervention

The Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory (PERCI; Preece al., 2021) consists of 32 items, rated on a 7-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = neither agree nor disagree, 7 = strongly agree) and measures people's ability to regulate their positive and negative emotions. Two different composite scores can be computed to indicate positive and negative emotion regulation ability (Min = 16, Max = 112 for each score), with higher scores indicating a higher level of difficulty regulating positive or negative emotions.

The German version of the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy-Revised (RESE-R) Scale (adapted from Caprara et al., 2008) consists of 10 items, rated on a 5-point scale (1 = not at all well to 5 = very well). The scale assesses self-efficacy in expressing positive emotions (4 items, Min = 1, Max = 5) and in managing negative emotions (despondency/distress: 3 Items, anger/irritation: 3 items, Min = 1, Max = 5), with higher scores indicating higher self-efficacy beliefs.

Data will be collected using an adaption of the smartphone app EmoTrack (adapted from Pruessner et al., 2023). The app assesses among other factors, the intensity with which participants employ various emotion regulation strategies to manage specific positive and negative emotions, using an 11-point scale (1 = not at all, 11 = very much). Scores for strategy usage will be aggregated across all intensity ratings from the four daily measurements over a continuous seven-day period (Min = 1, Max = 11). Higher scores indicate that a participant engages in a specific strategy more strongly in daily life.

The Beck Depression Inventory-II (Wang et al., 2013) consists of 21 items, rated on a 4-point scale (0-3) with four statements of increasing severity related to a specific depressive symptom. Higher sum scores (Min = 0, Max = 63) indicate a higher severity of depressive symptoms.

Data will be collected using an adaption of the smartphone app EmoTrack (adapted from Pruessner et al., 2023). The app measures among other factors, the intensity of specific positive and negative emotions selected from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Expanded Form (PANAS-X; Watson & Clark, 1994), using an 11-point scale (1 = not at all, 11 = very much). Scores for positive and negative emotions will be aggregated across all intensity ratings from the four daily measurements over a continuous seven-day period (Min = 1, Max = 11). Higher scores indicate that participants experience a higher level of positive (resp. negative) emotions in daily life.

The Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ, Becerra et al., 2020) consists of 16 items, rated on a 7-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = neither agree nor disagree, 7 = strongly agree). Sum scores can be computed for different subscales: General-Contollability (8 Items, Min: 8; Max: 56), Positive-Usefulness (4 Items, Min: 4, Max: 28), Negative-Usefulness (4 Items, Min: 4, Max: 28), with higher scores indicating that people believe, that emotions are uncontrollable and useless.

The World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5; Topp et al., 2015) consists of 5 items, rated on a 6-point scale (0 = at no time, 5 = all of the time). Elevated scores indicate a higher well-being (Min = 0, Max = 25).

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener et al., 1985) comprises 5 items, rated on a 7-point scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). Higher scores indicate a higher level of life satisfaction (Min = 5, Max = 35).

The Delaying Happiness and Living in the Moment Scale (Park et al., 2021) consists of 2 subscales with 10 items each, rated on a 7-point scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). Higher values indicate stronger beliefs that happiness is an investment over time (Delay Happiness) or stronger beliefs that one should savor happiness now versus later (Living in the Moment, Min = 1, Max = 7 for each scale).

The Fear of Happiness Scale (Joshanloo et al., 2014) consists of 5 items. Each item is measured on a 7-point scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). Higher scores indicate a greater fear of happiness (Min = 5, Max = 35).

The Contrast Avoidance Questionnaire-General (CAQ-GE; Llera et al., 2017) consists of 25 items, answered on a 5-point scale (1 = not at all true, 2 = slightly true, 3 = somewhat true, 4 = very true, and 5 = absolutely true), which are assigned to two subscales. Higher scores on the two subscales indicate a higher tendency to create and sustain negative emotions to avoid negative emotional contrasts (18 items, Min = 18, Max = 90) and more discomfort with emotional shifts (7 items, Min = 7, Max = 35).

The Heidelberg Form for Emotion Regulation Strategies (HFERST; Izadpanah et al., 2019) consists of 28 items that measure the habitual use of a range of emotion regulation strategies on a 5-point scale (1 = never, 2 = occasionally, 3 = about half the time, 4 = usually, 5 = always): rumination, avoidance, expressive suppression, experience suppression, reappraisal, social support, acceptance, and problem solving. Higher responses indicate a more frequent use of the specific emotion regulation strategy (Min = 1, Max = 5 for each scale).

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Roth et al., 2008) consists of 10 items, rated on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree). Higher score indicate a higher level of self-esteem (Min = 1, Max = 6).

The Internal-External Locus of Control-4 (IE-4; Niessen et al, 2022) Scale comprises 4 items, rated on a 5-point scale (1 = doesn't apply at all, 2 = applies a bit, 3 =applies somewhat, 4 = applies mostly, 5 = applies completely). The items can be allocated to two subscales: Internal Locus of Control (IL) and External Locus of Control (EL). Elevated scores on the Internal Locus of Control subscale signify a stronger belief in personal control over life events, whereas higher scores on the External Locus of Control subscale indicate a perception that events occur due to chance, fate, or the influence of powerful others

The Implicit Theories of Emotion Scale (Tamir et al., 2007) consists of 5 items, answered on a 5-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Higher scores indicate that a person believes emotions are malleable and controllable (Min = 1, Max = 5).

The General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7; Spitzer et al., 2006) consists of 7 items, rated on a 4-point scale (0 = not at all, 1 = several days, 2 = more than half the days, 3 = nearly every day). Scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating a higher severity of symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.