Relaxation in Children: Effects of Extended and Intensified Training

Although relaxation training is often used with children, there are few comparative evaluations of different approaches to relaxation. This study examines the effects of Progressive Muscle Relaxation and imagination, both presented with five and ten sessions, as well as in a standard and an intensified version. Both techniques are compared to presenting nontension producing neutral stories and tension-inducing arithmetic problems. One hundred and sixty children aged 9-12 years participated in the study. Evaluative criteria included physiological parameters (heart rate, skin conductance level, and skin temperature) and self-report measurements of mood and physical well-being. The results show clear short-term effects of both relaxation techniques and of presenting neutral stories. However, there is nearly no benefit if the training is extended or intensified.     

Coping in childhood: A comparative evaluation of different relaxation techniques

Abstract

This paper reports on the evaluation of relaxation trainings to improve the coping of children with stress situations. Over five training sessions, different relaxation techniques were presented to children to evaluate their short-term and long-term effects on different criteria. Included were a sensoric approach to relaxation (the Progressive Muscle Relaxation), an imaginative approach, and an imaginative approach with additional sensoric elements (combined training). Two control conditions were added. One of them presented non-tension producing stories instead of supplying a systematic relaxation training. The children of the second control condition participated at the measurements without any intervention. The participants were 826 children aged 7–14. The results show clear short-term effects on physiological parameters (blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature) as well as on subjective ratings of the children's mood and somatic condition. In relation to the overall changes, the differences between the training conditions are comparatively small. Moreover, the long-term effects (recorded one week and two months after the five training sessions) were small in relation to the short-term effects.     

Psychosocial moderators of the relationship between body dissatisfaction and symptoms of eating disorders: A look at a sample of young Italian women

IntroductionVarious psychosocial variables may affect the strength of the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and women's eating disorder symptomatology.ObjectiveInformed by Tylka (2004) and Brannan and Petrie (2011) research, the current study examined body surveillance and self-esteem as well as three additional theoretically relevant variables (social interaction anxiety, internalization of media ideals and attachment anxiety) as potential moderators of this relationship.MethodA cross-sectional design was used. A sample of 538 young Italian women completed self-report questionnaires.ResultsHierarchical moderated regression indicated that self-esteem buffered the deleterious effects of body dissatisfaction, whereas social interaction anxiety, body surveillance, internalization of media ideals and attachment anxiety intensified the primary body dissatisfaction-eating disorder symptomatology relationship.ConclusionSeveral risk and protective factors were found to interact with body dissatisfaction to influence its relation to women's eating disorder symptomatology. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

The influence of training task stimuli on transfer effects of working memory training in aging

IntroductionWorking memory (WM) training is known to produce benefits in older adults’ WM. Transfer effects to untrained abilities, however, remain controversial and several aspects are thought to influence the generalization of benefits, including the kind of stimuli used in the training tasks, an aspect rarely addressed in older adults.ObjectiveThe present study had two aims: (1) to test the efficacy of a visuospatial WM training procedure in older adults, in terms of specific and transfer effects; (2) to examine in two experiments whether the type of stimuli used in the training task influences the training's effectiveness. Experiment 1 adopted images with a neutral valence while experiment 2 used emotionally positive images based on evidence that older adults tend to remember positive stimuli better. In both experiments, specific training-related gains in a visuospatial WM task (the criterion task) and transfer effects on measures of verbal WM, visuospatial short-term memory, processing speed and reasoning were examined. Maintenance of training benefits was also assessed at an 8-month follow-up.MethodSeventy older adult (63–75 years old) volunteers (35 for experiment 1, and 35 for experiment 2) were randomly assigned to a training or active control group. The same visuospatial WM training procedure was used in both experiments, manipulating only the type of stimuli used (neutral in experiment 1 and emotionally positive in experiment 2).ResultsIn both experiments, only trained participants showed specific benefits in the WM criterion task. These gains were also maintained at the follow-up, but no transfer effects were identified.ConclusionOverall, our findings using the present visuospatial WM training paradigm suggest that it is less effective, in terms of transfer effects, than the same paradigm administered verbally in a previous study, regardless of the type of stimuli used in WM training tasks (neutral or emotionally positive stimuli).     

Distress tolerance as a mechanism of mindfulness for depression and anxiety: Cross-sectional and diary evidence

BackgroundBoth trait and state mindfulness are associated with less depression and anxiety, but the mechanisms remain unknown. Distress tolerance, an important transdiagnostic factor of emotional disorders, may mediate the relationship between mindfulness and depression/anxiety.MethodStudy 1 examined the mediation model at the between-person level in a large cross-sectional sample (n = 905). In Study 2, a daily diary study (n = 110) was conducted to examine within-person changes. Participants were invited to complete daily diaries measuring daily mindfulness, distress tolerance, depression and anxiety for 14 consecutive days.ResultsIn Study 1, results of simple mediation analyses indicated that distress tolerance mediated the relationship between mindfulness and depression/anxiety at the between-person level. In Study 2, results of multilevel mediation analyses indicated that, in both the concurrent model and time-lagged model, daily distress tolerance mediated the effects of daily mindfulness on daily depression/anxiety at both the within- and between-person level.ConclusionsDistress tolerance is a mechanism underlying the relationship between mindfulness and depression/anxiety. Individuals with high or fluctuating depression and anxiety may benefit from short-term or long-term mindfulness training to increase distress tolerance.     

The “hot hand” reconsidered: A meta-analytic approach

ObjectivesExtensive searches for the “hot hand” have been performed in a variety of sports since the pioneering study of Gilovich, Vallone, and Tversky (1985), but empirical evidence for the existence of the effect is still fairly limited. The current review reconsiders the hot hand in sports using a meta-analytic approach.DesignMean effect size and 95% confidence interval were determined using a random effects model. Heterogeneity of the mean effect size was examined applying Cochran's Q test and the “75 percent rule”.MethodTo be included in the meta-analysis, studies had to provide an empirical investigation of the hot hand phenomenon related to sport and exercise behavior. Approximately 250 papers were located, but the final dataset included only 22 publications that met inclusion criteria, with 30 studies and 56 independent effect sizes. The articles extended over a period of twenty-seven years from 1985 until 2012.ResultsThe analysis of the effects yielded a minor positive mean effect size of .02, p = .49, using a random effects model, which is sufficient evidence for arguing against the existence of the hot hand. Due to the limited sample of studies available, only a few candidate-variables could be extracted and further examined as potential moderator variables. However, none of the considered variables had the power to explain the heterogeneity of effect sizes.ConclusionsThe present study provides additional support for Gilovich et al.'s claim that a general hot hand effect probably does not exist in sport. The scientific implications of this review for prospect advances in the field are presented and discussed.     

Faustian bargains: Short-term and long-term contingencies in phylogeny,ontogeny, and sociogeny

Rachlin's interpretations of self-control depend on the short-term versus the long-term consequences of behavior. Sometimes these effects support each other (typing an abstract produces a written product now and is later read by others). Sometimes they conflict (procrastination now is incompatible with finishing the abstract by deadline). We usually reserve the language of self-control for human cases where long-term consequences are chosen over short-term ones. Rachlin made this distinction salient in ontogeny, but it also applies to selection in phylogeny (Darwinian evolution) and sociogeny (behavior passed from one organism to another). Our account examines relations between short-term and long-term consequences at each level of selection. For example, sexual selection has adaptive, short-term mating consequences but may drive species to extreme specializations that jeopardize long-term survival. In sociogeny, as in the Tragedy of the Commons, group members may get immediate economic benefits from exploiting resources but exhaust those resources over the long term. Whatever the level, when short-term and long-term consequences have opposing effects, adaptive behavior may depend on whether temporally extended contingencies exert more control than more immediate benefits.     

The effects of physical exercise on psychophysiological reactions under stress

Abstract

The effects of moderate physical exercise during a 20-minute anticipation period of a public speech were investigated. Mood before the anticipation period was manipulated as an additional stress factor. As a third experimental factor the subjects were given the opportunity for task preparation or not. Besides cardiovascular variables and self-reports of bodily symptoms, mood reports served as dependent variables and as indicators of general well-being. Eighty female students took part in the study. Moderate exercise was associated with strongly increased activation and reports of related bodily symptoms. The reported mood changes as a function of exercise included a decrease in anxiety and an increase in self-reliance. This mood repair effect of exercise was especially apparent when the subjects entered the anticipation period in a negative emotional state. The exercised subjects spoke with greater calmness. The task preparation during anticipation led to slightly increased activation and to reports of bodily symptoms as well as increased anxiety and less self-reliance. The prepared subjects made fewer pauses in their speeches.     

Identifying mediators of training effects on performance-related psychobiosocial states: A single-case observational study in an elite female triathlete

ObjectivesRelationships between training load, psychobiosocial (PBS) states and performance are dynamic and individual-specific. The nature of these relationships can be investigated using a combination of dynamic linear models (DLMs) and mediating variable analysis, potentially assisting applied sports psychologists in planning and monitoring of individual elite athletes’ intervention programmes.DesignWe illustrate this approach by examining the relationships of training loads with a performance-related state (‘self-efficacy’) and the role of potential mediating PBS variables (‘fatigue/lack of energy’ and ‘being in shape’) in explaining these relationships in an elite triathlete across time.MethodSelf-reports of PBS states (twice weekly) and training data were collected over 137 days. Using DLMs and mediating variable analysis, direct (unmediated) and indirect (mediated) short-term associations of training load with ‘self-efficacy’ were examined.ResultsIn this triathlete, we found evidence for positive effects of training on ‘self-efficacy’, which were partly explained by feelings of ‘being in shape’ and suppressed by feelings of ‘fatigue/lack of energy’. Changes in the relationship between lagged training load and ‘fatigue/lack of energy’ were observed across time and were particularly pronounced in temporal proximity of an injury.ConclusionStrengths of the presented approach are its dynamic nature enabling the observation of changes occurring over time, use of statistical inference rather than visual data interpretation, and quantification of mediating effects to identify potential pathways of intervention. Additionally, the DLM method can identify complex nonlinear associations by examining correspondence between changes in levels of predictors and changes in magnitude and direction of predictor-outcome associations.     

The effects of instructional set on physiological response to stressful imagery

Centrally mediated or cognitive variables have received considerable attention in clinical research. With the establishment of the effectiveness of such specific treatment techniques as systematic desensitization (Paul. 1969a. 1969b). a question arises as to the influence of cognitions on process and outcome variables in such learning based treatments (Lang. 1971). Research investigating the influence of demand characteristics and subject expectancies has demonstrated such centrally mediated variables can significantly influence overt, behavioral and self-report measures of fear, stress, or anxiety (cf. Borkovec. 1972: Marcia. Rubin and Efran. 1969; McGlynn. Maelia and Nawas. 1969: McGlynn. Reynolds and Linder. 1971: Oliveau. Agras. Leitenberg and Wright. 1969; Rappaport. 1972: Rosen. 1974).However. Borkovec (1972) and Rappaport (1972) failed to obtain expectancy effects on physiological measures of anxiety. Neither investigation provided for an independent assessment of subjects' actual expectancies, or belief in the instructions, as recommended by Davison and Wilson (1973). Borkovec administered clinical procedures over four sessions and varied the information communicated about the ‘purpose’ of the treatments (physiological versus therapeutic instructions). Differential rationales for differential expectancies of physiological reactivity were not provided. After each session, subjects reviewed the same false physiological records depicting reductions in fear responses. Although these changes were explained either physiologically or therapeutically. the fact that such reductions were emphasized should have attenuated differences between groups. Rappaport (1972) exposed subjects to a fearful stimulus and varied the suggestion and rationale for the pseudotreatment: no expectancy (stress research): therapeutic expectancy (fear reduction); and negative expectancy (fear increase). The lack of an independent assessment of the expectancy manipulation, as well as the exclusion of a specific therapeutic procedure, make it impossible to interpret the results in relation to expectancy effects on physiological fear responses during the administration of therapeutic procedures. There is other evidence, however, that suggestion and instructional set can significantly influence somatic and autonomic response systems (Barber. 1961. 1965; Sternbach. 1964. 1965).The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of instructional set on physiological responses to stressful imagery. This was an early step in a research program investigating the effects of instructional and informational variables on physiological responses of clinical interest. One half of the subjects received abbreviated live relaxation training (R) as described m a manual by Bernstein and Borkovec (1972) and based upon the original work of Jacobson (1938). The other half received an inert placebo pill and undertook a target detection task (P). The latter procedure was similar to that used by Paul (1966). Although both procedures had previously been shown to have relaxing effects, the P task was included as an additional control for any potential effects specific to the tension-release procedure of R. In order to evaluate the effects of instructional set, one half of each of the above two groups received instructions designed to lead to an expectancy of response inhibition to stressful imagery by the respective procedure (Decrease Stress Response. DSR). while the other half received instructions designed to lead to an expectancy of an increased response to stressful imagery by the respective procedure (Increase Stress Response. ISR). Each subject visualized three individually specified items that were the most frightening scenes imaginable prior to training and four times after training visualized the scene producing the largest response. Considerable effort was devoted to eliciting from each subject the most frightening items possible for her. and it was clear from subject comments that the items did elicit negative emotional responses.Since previous research (Barber. 1961. 1965; Sternbach. 1964. 1965) indicated that instructional set can influence physiological reactivity, it was hypothesized the DSR) subjects should exhibit a greater reduction in emotional response from pre- to posttraining than ISR subjects.     

Cognitive mediation of intervention effects on physical exercise: Causal models for the adoption and maintenance stage

Objective: To investigate how the effects of a group-based intervention program (MoVo-LISA) on exercise behaviour were mediated by cognitive variables. Different causal models mapping the short-term (adoption) and long-term (maintenance) intervention effects were tested using path analyses.

Design: N?=?220 in-patients of a rehabilitation clinic were assigned to an usual care or intervention group (quasi-experimental design). Questionnaire-based assessment was conducted at baseline; discharge; and at six weeks, six months and 12 months post discharge.

Measures: The potential mediator variables were outcome expectations, self-efficacy, strength of goal intention (intention strength), self-concordance, action planning and barrier management.

Results: Observed intervention effects on exercise behaviour (p?<?0.05) were mediated by intention strength at the adoption and maintenance stages, by action planning only at the adoption, and by barrier management only at the maintenance stage. Self-efficacy and outcome expectations were only indirectly involved in these mediations by affecting intention strength and self-concordance.

Conclusion: This is the first study to track the cognitive mediation processes of intervention effects on exercise behaviour over a long time-period by differentiating the adoption and maintenance stages of behaviour change. The findings emphasise the importance of deconstructing intervention effects (modifiability vs. predictive power of a mediator) to develop more effective interventions.     

The effect of rebranding generic medicines on drug efficacy and side effects

Objectives: Subjective age is an important correlate of health, well-being, and longevity. So far, little is known about short-term variability in subjective age and the circumstances under which individuals feel younger/older in daily life. This study examined whether (a) older adults’ felt age fluctuates on a day-to-day basis, (b) daily changes in health, stressors, and affect explain fluctuations in felt age, and (c) the daily associations between felt age and health, stressors, or affect are time-ordered.

Method: Using an eight-day daily diary approach, N = 43 adults (60–96 years, M = 74.65, SD = 8.19) filled out daily questionnaires assessing subjective age, health, daily stressors, and affect. Data were analysed using multilevel modelling.

Main outcome measures: Subjective age, health, daily stressors, affect.

Results: Intra-individual variability in felt age was not explained by time but by short-term variability in other variables. Specifically, on days when participants experienced more than average health problems, stress, or negative affect they felt older than on days with average health, stress, or negative affect. No time-ordered effects were found.

Conclusion: Bad health, many stressors, and negative affective experiences constitute circumstances under which older adults feel older than they typically do. Thus, daily measures of subjective age could be markers of health and well-being.     

The relationship between stress,hemispheric preference and decision making among managers

Abstract

Previous studies have shown important effects of stress on decision making (DM). In addition, individuals differ in their relative activation of the left and right hemispheres (hemispheric preference; HP), with possible implications for DM. This study tested the relationship between stress, HP and their interaction, with DM in managers. We included a sample of 114 managers from Israel, Italy and France. Stress was inversely and significantly related to DM thoroughness (r=?.333), left-HP (r=?.24) and was positively correlated with instinctiveness DM (r=.25; all p<.05). Importantly, a stress×HP interaction accounted for an additional and significant 9% of the variance in thoroughness, beyond their main effects, nationality and gender. In this interaction, only in right HP managers, but not in left HP managers, stress was inversely correlated with thoroughness. A stress×HP interaction was not found for instinctiveness. Theoretically, our results advise investigating both situational (stress) and personal or biological (HP) factors in the job stress field. Practically, it can guide stress specialists to whom to provide scarce counseling resources of stress management, to improve workers’ DM and well-being.     

Daily hassles,marital functioning and psychological distress among community-dwelling older couples

ObjectivesThis study attempts to examine the association between stress induced by daily hassles, marital functioning and psychological distress among a sample of older couples living at home without assisted living facilities. Moreover, the study looks to assess the moderator role of marital functioning on the association between stress and psychological distress.MethodsThe study included a representative sample of 508 older couples living at home where at least one spouse was aged 65 years or older. To take into account of the non-independence of the data, dyadic analyses were conducted.ResultsFor men, marital functioning and stress induced by daily hassles explained the variance of psychological distress 4.71% and 2.56% respectively. For women, these variables explained 10.96% and 2.43% respectively of this variance. Results found also that marital functioning can play a protective role between the association of stress and psychological distress among men, but not for women. Men with lower marital functioning present a significant higher level of psychological distress when they present stress than those who do not have stress. For those with high marital functioning, no significant differences have been found on psychological distress between those groups.ConclusionStress induced by daily hassles and marital functioning are significantly related to psychological distress among older people, and, for men, marital functioning can play a protective role in the association between those variables.     

L’entraînement de la mémoire de travail par le programme Cogmed et le TDAH

IntroductionAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder. Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are key symptoms of ADHD. It is typically associated with working memory deficits at the cognitive level. For this reason, interventions have been designed to train working memory in ADHD. Currently, Cogmed Working Memory Training program is the most commonly used and studied program in clinical practice and research. This program is proposed as an intervention for ADHD that targets working memory deficits with specific exercises through intensive training sessions.ObjectivesThe goal of this literature review is to examine the effects of the Cogmed program in children and adolescents with ADHD on working memory, inhibition, non-verbal reasoning, attention functioning, ADHD symptoms and academic achievement. All existing studies on the subject that included a control group (n = 8) are reviewed.ResultsIt is clear from most studies that Cogmed training program increases and verbal and visuospatial working memory (or the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad in Baddeley's model (1986, 2007), among ADHD participants. However, transfer of learning is not demonstrated on other components of working memory that are not directly targeted by the program such as the central executive described in Baddeley's model or the secondary memory defined by Unsworth & Engle (2007). With regards to far transfer measures, results are controversial for inhibition, non-verbal reasoning, ADHD symptoms reported by parents, and reading abilities. No improvement is demonstrated for attentional capacities, ADHD symptoms reported by teachers and mathematic reasoning.ConclusionCogmed training improves verbal and visuospatial working memory, two cognitive functions that play an important role in ADHD. However, Cogmed's exercises need to be modified in order to train more complex working memory components such as the central executive (Baddeley, 1986, 2007) and the secondary memory (Unsworth & Engle, 2007), which are more impaired in ADHD than the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad. Another approach would be to design programs that can tackle a larger range of cognitive functions that are impaired in ADHD (e.g., inhibition). In future, studies evaluating such modified programs, direct observation instruments that are more sensitive to short-term changes need to be included. Follow-up measures should also be systematically included.     

An experimental test to reveal negative side-effects of high treatability information on preventative health behaviour

Objectives: When the course of a disease can be positively changed by health professionals the disease can be indicated as ‘highly treatable’. This ‘high treatability information’ (HTI) may have negative side-effects on people’s preventative motivation. This study examined the effects of HTI regarding skin cancer on preventative motivation.

Design: This study employed a 2 (high treatability (HTI) versus low treatability (LTI)) × 2 (high versus low susceptibility)?experiment with a hanging control group. (family) History and self-efficacy were assessed as moderators. Participants (N = 309) were randomly assigned to one of the five conditions.

Main outcome measures: The main outcome was intention to engage in preventative actions regarding skin cancer.

Results: HTI significantly lowered the intention compared to LTI, under the condition of high susceptibility in people with low self-efficacy. In addition, in people with a (family) history of skin cancer, HTI significantly lowered the intention compared to the no-information group.

Conclusion: HTI regarding skin cancer can cause a drop in the preventative motivation. The effects can be conceptualised as negative side-effects of HTI. As substantial proportions of the general population have a (family) history of skin cancer or low self-efficacy, the side-effects may be widespread, possibly increasing the incidence of skin cancer.     

Matching temporal frame to recipients' time orientation in exercise messaging: Does argument quality matter?

ObjectivesIn this study, the extent to which argument quality impacts upon tailoring effects in exercise messages is explored.Design2 (Strong versus Weak) × 2 (Tailored versus Not Tailored) Experimental Design.Method127 young adults (Mage = 20.70, SD = 3.06) received either strong or weak messages about a new exercise class that were tailored to be congruent or incongruent with their chronic time-orientation.ResultsNo main effects for message tailoring were found, but a significant interaction between argument quality and message tailoring emerged for two dependent variables: instrumental attitudes and willingness to recommend the class to a friend. Under tailored conditions, scores for both dependent variables were significantly higher for those who received a strong argument than for those who received a weak argument, whereas there was no difference between those who viewed a strong and a weak argument in the non-tailored conditions.ConclusionsThe study corroborates findings from other research that tailored messages are most likely to be consequential under conditions of strong argument quality.     

Effects of test anxiety,ego stress,and attentional skills training on arithmetic reasoning: An experimental evaluation of a brief counseling strategy

Abstract

Two hundred forty high school students (120 male and 120 female) in India performed a moderately difficult multiple choice Arithmetic Reasoning task after undergoing short-term (40 minutes) cognitive treatment in the form of Attentional Skills Training. A 2 × 2 × 2 (Test Anxiety x Attentional Skills Training x Stress) design with separate analysis for boys and girls indicated these results: with intervention the high anxiety subjects under ego stress conditions, compared to their high-anxious control, low-anxious ego stress, or low-anxious control counterparts, reported the maximum significant improvement in performance on the Arithmetic Reasoning test. The low-anxiety subjects performed consistently well with or without treatment or stress conditions. The findings shed new light on the attentional theory of test anxiety, and it was reasoned that long-term effects of cognitive treatment be studied by using varied performance tasks (difficulty level controlled) on different gender and age groups across cultures.     

Current issues and new directions in Psychology and Health: The costs and benefits of self-regulation – a call for experimental research

Abstract

This study was designed to assess the effects of exercise on psychological functioning in healthy Type A men. Seventy-three middle-aged men (M=42.2 years) were randomly assigned either to an aerobic exercise (AE) training group or to a strength and flexibility (SF) training group. Subjects completed a comprehensive psychological assessment battery prior to beginning the 12-week exercise programs, and after completing the programs. The psychological test battery included measures of depression, anxiety and stress, as well as various psychiatric symptoms. In addition, subjects underwent graded exercise treadmill tests (ETT) at both times of measurement in order to document changes in cardiorespiratory fitness. Aerobic exercise training consisted of walking, jogging or stair-climbing at an intensity of at least 70% of initial measured maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max determined during the treadmill test). Strength and flexibility training consisted of circuit Nautilus training with no aerobic exercise. Results at the conclusion of the 12-week programs indicated that [Vdot]O₂max for the AE group increased by 15%, while the SF group did not change. Both groups improved on measures of psychological well-being; however, there were no differential effects of the two exercise programs on measures of psychological functioning. These results suggest that improved cardiovascular fitness is not necessary for psychological improvement among exercise participants.     

Episode-specific drinking-to-cope motivation and next-day stress-reactivity

Background: Research consistently shows drinking-to-cope (DTC) motivation is uniquely associated with drinking-related problems. We furthered this line of research by examining whether DTC motivation is predictive of processes indicative of poor emotion regulation. Specifically, we tested whether nighttime levels of episode-specific DTC motivation, controlling for drinking level, were associated with intensified affective reactions to stress the following day (i.e. stress-reactivity). Design and Methods: We used a micro-longitudinal design to test this hypothesis in two college student samples from demographically distinct institutions: a large, rural state university (N?=?1421; 54% female) and an urban historically Black college/university (N?=?452; 59% female). Results: In both samples the within-person association between daily stress and negative affect on days following drinking episodes was stronger in the positive direction when previous night's drinking was characterized by relatively higher levels of DTC motivation. We also found evidence among students at the state university that average levels of DTC motivation moderated the daily stress-negative affect association. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with the notion that DTC motivation confers a unique vulnerability that affects processes associated with emotion regulation.