Investigating the Relationships Between Reinforcement Sensitivity and Positive andNegative Emotion Dysregulation

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between reward and punishment sensitivities and positive and negative emotion regulation strategies among university students. Methods: A total of 189 students of one of the universities in Tehran City, Iran, were selected by accessible random sampling. Then, the emotion regulation scale, attention control scale, experience questionnaire, emotional regulation questionnaire, positive emotion response questionnaire, and punishment and reward sensitivity questionnaire were distributed among them to collect data. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS software v. 26 using the Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results: The Pearson correlation coefficient showed a significant relationship between punishment and reward sensitivity and positive and negative emotion regulation strategies. Multiple regression analysis showed that sensitivity to reward and punishment could predict positive emotion regulation strategies properly. Multiple regression analysis results indicated that sensitivity to reward and punishment could also predict negative emotion regulation strategies. Conclusion: Sensitivity to punishment and reward were significant and common factors in emotion regulation. These results show that activation as a technique plays a significant role in the behavior that enhances the individual’s search for reward. It suggests that this approach can increase reward-seeking and thus improve emotional regulation.