Measuring emotion beliefs: a systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Emotion beliefs, whether emotions are seen as controllable or harmful, influence mental health.
• These beliefs are thought to affect mental health symptoms by shaping emotion regulation strategies.
• Valid and reliable measures are crucial for studying emotion beliefs and their impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate the quality of existing measures for emotion beliefs.
• To identify strengths and weaknesses of current emotion belief assessment tools.
• To guide researchers and clinicians in selecting appropriate measures.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search across seven databases identified 5276 citations.
• 69 studies met inclusion criteria and underwent quality assessment.
• Quality was evaluated using the Quality Assessment with Diverse Studies (QuADS) and modified criteria.

Main Results:

• The review provides a comprehensive overview of available emotion belief measures.
• It assesses the validity and reliability of these existing instruments.
• Identified limitations include a need for theoretical consistency and diverse assessment methods.

Conclusions:

• Existing emotion belief measures are a valuable resource but require refinement.
• Future research should focus on developing more consistent theoretical frameworks.
• There is a need for alternative assessment approaches (e.g., vignettes) and measures for pediatric populations.