Emotion regulation process in creative context: The role of dysregulation of both positive and negative emotions

Abstract

The capacity for emotional regulation in individuals is strongly implicated in improving their quality of life. It has also been demonstrated that cognitive processes related to creative activities can play an important role in the use of emotion regulation strategies. Thus, creativity represents a useful construct for investigating psychological functioning in the context of emotion regulation strategies. In support of this hypothesis, several studies have analyzed the bidirectional link between creativity and positive and negative emotion regulation strategies, demonstrating the functioning between the different interactions. A new self-report instrument has recently been developed for this investigation: the Emotion Regulation Strategies for Artistic Creative Activities Scale (ERS-ACA). However, the absence of an Italian validation of the instrument limits the exploration of the dynamics of reciprocal influence between (dys)regulation of emotions and artistic creative activities, narrowing the field of knowledge in this area For this reason, our study aims to translate and adapt of the ERS-ACA in Italian language as examine its psychometric properties. We administered this translated version to a quite large sample of participants together with measures of emotion dysregulation and emotion regulation. Confirmatory factorial analysis supported the initial structure of the instrument and correlations with emotion (dys)regulation measures suggested its construct validity. The Italian version of the ERS-ACA appears to be a valid tool for the evaluation of the relationship between creativity and emotional regulation strategies in future research.