Momentary Appraisals of Emotions Moderate the Relationship Between Affect Intensity and Urges to Avoid in the Daily Lives of High-Risk Psychiatric Patients

Abstract Purpose Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) enables real-time observation of emotion regulation processes, such as avoidance, in daily life. Prior EMA research on avoidance has been limited, with minimal attention to momentary cognitions relevant to avoidance, such as appraisals of emotions as threatening or intolerable. The purpose of the current study was to explore the within-person associations among cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of avoidance using EMA. Methods Adults recently discharged from psychiatric hospitalization (N = 30) completed EMA evaluating momentary negative affect, appraisals of current emotions (e.g., “My emotions are getting in the way ”), and urges to avoid 4x/day for 28 days. Multilevel models predicting urges to avoid examined main and interaction effects between affect and appraisals. Results Urges to avoid were concurrently associated with more intense negative emotions ( b = 0.49–0.55, p s < 0.001) and more critical appraisals of those emotions and one’s capacity to manage them ( b = 0.14–0.20, p s ≤ 0.022). An interaction effect was observed between affect and appraisals, suggesting that negative emotion intensity and critical appraisals have a transactional effect on urges to avoid, such that at heightened levels of either, the relationship between avoidance and the other weakens. This interaction was observed for appraisals of the emotion itself ( b = − 0.05– −0.03, ps ≤ 0.007), but not for appraisals of one’s capacity to handle that emotion. Conclusions These findings highlight the complex interplay between cognitive, affective, and behavioral facets of avoidance and provide a greater understanding of how emotion regulation plays out in daily life for individuals with serious mental health problems.