Comparing the Effects of Reconstrual and Repurposing Reappraisal Strategies on Sadness and Anxiety in Emerging Adults: A Brief Intervention
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Not yet recruiting
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 240
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in Negative Affect
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn which reappraisal strategy works better to reduce sadness and anxiety in emerging adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:
What is the effect of emotion regulation strategies (reconstrual, repurposing) on short term negative emotions (anxiety, sadness)?
Does the effectiveness of these strategies vary depending on the type of emotion (anxiety vs. sadness)?
Are reconstrual and repurposing more effective compared to active and passive control conditions?
What is the effect of these strategies on short-term positive emotions (e.g., hope, happiness)?
Researchers will compare reconstrual and repurposing strategies to see which one is more effective in improving emotional outcomes.
Participants will:
be randomly assigned to one of eight conditions in a 4 (Regulation Strategy: Reconstrual, Repurposing, Active Control, Passive Control) × 2 (Emotion Type: Sadness vs. Anxiety) factorial design.
Complete online tasks and surveys about their emotions
Detailed Description
This study evaluates the effectiveness of two cognitive reappraisal strategies-reconstrual (reinterpreting the meaning of an event) and repurposing (modifying the personal goal related to the event)-in reducing negative affect and enhancing positive affect in response to emotion-evoking scenarios in emerging adults.
Participants (at least N = 240) will be randomly assigned to one of eight groups in a 2 (Emotion: Sadness vs. Anxiety) × 4 (Strategy: Reconstrual, Repurposing, Active Control, Passive Control) between-subjects factorial design. Each participant will complete standardized emotional induction tasks via written scenarios, followed by their assigned intervention.
Hypotheses
H1: Negative emotions (sadness or anxiety) will significantly decrease following the intervention in the reconstrual and repurposing groups compared to the active and passive control groups. (Main effect of strategy on negative affect)
H2: Positive emotions will increase more in the reconstrual and repurposing groups compared to the passive control group. (Main effect of strategy on positive affect)
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Factorial
- Primary Purpose
- Basic Science
- Masking
- Single (Investigator)
Masking Description
This study uses an online platform (Qualtrics) to assign participants randomly to study arms and deliver interventions. Investigators are blinded to group allocation. Investigators do not have access to or control over assignment information during data collection, ensuring masking (single-blind design).
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 30 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Aged 18-30 years
- •Fluent in Turkish
- •No current psychiatric treatment or diagnosis (self-reported)
- •Willingness to participate and provide informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
- •History of severe psychiatric or neurological disorders
- •Current substance use disorder
Arms & Interventions
Sadness - Reconstrual
Participants in this arm are exposed to sadness-related scenario and trained to use the reconstrual strategy, which involves reinterpreting the meaning of the situation to reduce negative emotions. Training is delivered online via Qualtrics and includes practice vignette. After training, participants apply reconstrual to the scenario to regulate their emotional response.
Intervention: Reconstrual Strategy Training (Behavioral)
Sadness - Repurposing
Participants view sadness-related scenario and receive training in repurposing, which focuses on changing the goal to alleviate negative feelings. Training and practice exercises are provided online through Qualtrics before applying the strategy to the scenario.
Intervention: Repurposing Strategy Training (Behavioral)
Sadness - Active Control
Participants are presented with sadness-related scenario followed by a writing distraction task designed to divert attention from negative emotions. This arm controls for the effect of engaging in an active cognitive task unrelated to emotion regulation.
Intervention: Active Control (Behavioral)
Sadness - Passive Control
Participants view sadness-related scenario but do not receive any emotion regulation training or distraction tasks. This arm serves as a baseline to measure natural emotional change over time.
Anxiety - Reconstrual
Participants are trained in reconstrual to reinterpret and reduce the perceived threat or negative appraisal of the situation and exposed to anxiety-inducing scenario. The online training includes practice vignette, followed by application of the strategy to the scenario.
Intervention: Reconstrual Strategy Training (Behavioral)
Anxiety - Repurposing
Participants view anxiety-related scenarios and receive training in repurposing, which focuses on changing the goal to alleviate negative feelings. Training and practice exercises are provided online through Qualtrics before applying the strategy to the scenario.
Intervention: Repurposing Strategy Training (Behavioral)
Anxiety - Active Control
Participants are presented with anxiety-related scenario followed by a writing distraction task designed to divert attention from negative emotions. This arm controls for the effect of engaging in an active cognitive task unrelated to emotion regulation.
Intervention: Active Control (Behavioral)
Anxiety - Passive Control
Participants view anxiety-related scenario but do not receive any emotion regulation training or distraction tasks. This arm serves as a baseline to measure natural emotional change over time.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in Negative Affect
Time Frame: Immediately after vignette exposure vs. immediately after intervention
(VAS; scale 0-100) Participants rate how intensely they feel a target negative emotion (sadness or anxiety) using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from 0 ("Not at all") to 100 ("Extremely"). Assessment Points: Time 1: After reading the emotionally evocative vignette (baseline). Time 2: After completing the assigned emotion regulation strategy (post-intervention)
Change in valence and arousal
Time Frame: Immediately after vignette exposure vs. immediately after intervention
Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) ratings \[Time Frame: Before vs. after intervention\] A nonverbal pictorial measure of emotional response that assesses two dimensions: Valence (pleasant-unpleasant) Arousal (high-low) on a 1-9 scale
Secondary Outcomes
- Change in Positive Affect(Immediately after vignette exposure vs. immediately after intervention)
- PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire)(Baseline)
- GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale)(Baseline)
Investigators
Meryem Söğüt Kahramanlar
PhD(c)
Ibn Haldun University