Trait Affect, Emotion Regulation, and the Generation of Negative and Positive Interpersonal Events

- Trait negative affect was associated with more brooding and dampening.
- Trait positive affect was associated with more positive rumination.
- Dampening predicted fewer negative and positive interpersonal events.
- Positive rumination predicted greater positive and negative interpersonal events.
- Implications for stress generation and psychopathology are discussed.

Positive and negative trait affect and emotion regulatory strategies have received considerable attention in the literature as predictors of psychopathology. However, it remains unclear whether individuals' trait affect is associated with responses to state positive affect (positive rumination and dampening) or negative affect (ruminative brooding), or whether these affective experiences contribute to negative or positive interpersonal event generation. Among 304 late adolescents, path analyses indicated that individuals with higher trait negative affect utilized dampening and brooding rumination responses, whereas those with higher trait positive affect engaged in rumination on positive affect. Further, there were indirect relationships between trait negative affect and fewer positive and negative interpersonal events via dampening, and between trait positive affect and greater positive and negative interpersonal events via positive rumination. These findings suggest that individuals' trait negative and positive affect may be associated with increased utilization of emotion regulation strategies for managing these affects, which may contribute to the occurrence of positive and negative events in interpersonal relationships.