Positive Affect Dampening Prospectively Predicts Changes in Chronic Life Stress, but Not Episodic Stress Generation Among Adolescents

Maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) strategies are important predictors of stress generation-the process by which individuals with certain traits are likely to experience higher levels of dependent (self-generated), but not independent (fateful), stressful life events. Positive affect (PA) dampening, the tendency to downregulate positive moods by reducing their intensity and duration, may weaken interpersonal ties and therefore increase vulnerability to stress generation, particularly in the interpersonal domain. The present study examined longitudinal associations between PA dampening and stress generation in an adolescent sample (N = 241, Mage = 15.9, 51.8% female) assessed at baseline and at follow-up 1.5 years later. Dampening was assessed with a self-report questionnaire and stress exposure was assessed using contextual threat-based interview methods. Preregistered analyses revealed that PA dampening did not prospectively predict episodic interpersonal or non-interpersonal dependent stress; instead, dampening was associated with greater episodic independent stress, inconsistent with the stress generation model. Higher dampening at baseline also predicted increases in chronic stress in both interpersonal and non-interpersonal domains over follow-up. Findings suggest that PA regulation strategies may contribute to sustained stressful contexts, rather than discrete life events.