Exploring the Link Between Emotional and Behavioral Dysregulation: A Test of the Emotional Cascade Model

Abstract

The emotional cascade model (Selby, Anestis, & Joiner, 2008) posits that the link between emotional and behavioral dysregulation may be through emotional cascades, which are repetitive cycles of rumination and negative affect that result in an intensification of emotional distress. Dysregulated behaviors, such as non-suicidal self-injury, are used to reduce aversive emotions and distract the person from ruminative processes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the emotional cascade model in a non-Western sample of Turkish university students. Accordingly, a structural equation model was tested, and the results demonstrated that the emotional cascades were indeed associated to dysregulated behaviors, even when the effect of current symptoms of depression and anxiety on behavioral dysregulation was statistically controlled. Furthermore, thought suppression had a stronger relationship with all symptom patterns as compared to rumination, which may point to a cultural difference. Possible implications of the findings are discussed.