Anger and emotion regulation strategies: a meta-analysis

The hypothesis that maladaptive emotion regulation plays a central role in anger problems has driven the development of cognitive-behavioral interventions for anger and has stimulated a wealth of studies. However, this work is heterogeneous, drawing on multiple theories from clinical psychology and affective science, and focusing on multiple dimensions of emotion regulation. In addition, previous findings have not always been consistent. The present meta-analysis aimed to characterize associations between anger and emotion regulation strategies (i.e., avoidance, acceptance, distraction, reappraisal, rumination, suppression). A systematic search was conducted, and 81 studies (115 effect sizes) were included in the analysis. The results indicated consistent positive associations between anger and avoidance, rumination, and suppression, and consistent negative associations between anger and acceptance, and reappraisal. The relation between anger and distraction could not be analyzed. Heterogeneity was large in all analyses, and multiple differences between studies, including type of anger, clinical status, criminal status, type of culture, study quality, and sample sex distribution, influenced the effect sizes. Overall, the present findings support the view that anger is consistently associated with the differential use of multiple emotion regulation strategies and suggest methodological improvements for future studies.