Depressive Symptoms and Self-Reported Emotion Regulation Strategy Use Among Empty-Nest Older Adults Following Recalled Happy and Sad Events

Although the psychological consequences of the empty-nest period are heterogeneous, depressive symptoms remain an important concern among empty-nest older adults in China. However, little is known about how depressive symptoms are associated with the self-reported use of emotion regulation (ER) strategies following positive and negative emotional events. This study compared the self-reported use of nine ER strategies following recalled happy and sad events among empty-nest older adults with high versus low depressive symptoms (N = 145) using generalized estimating equations. Older adults with higher depressive symptoms reported more frequent use of rumination and self-criticism following sad events, and more frequent use of cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, experiential avoidance, and self-criticism following happy events. They also reported less frequent problem-solving across both event types and less frequent acceptance and social sharing following happy events. In addition, they reported more frequent rumination following sad events and more frequent cognitive reappraisal and distraction following happy events, whereas the low-depressive-symptom group showed the reverse pattern. They also showed lower overall strategy-use ratings, a smaller strategy repertoire following sad events, and less differentiated repertoire patterns across happy and sad events. These findings provide descriptive evidence that depressive symptoms among empty-nest older adults are associated with distinct patterns of self-reported ER strategy use and repertoire size following recalled sad events.