Negative mood regulation (NMR) expectancies: a test of incremental validity

Negative mood regulation (NMR) expectancies are beliefs in one’s ability to initiate behaviors to alleviate a negative mood or induce a positive mood. They are one of many cognitive factors that appear to contribute to individual differences in depressed mood. However, it remains unclear whether NMR expectancies predict depressed mood above and beyond related constructs, and whether they predict depressed mood over a time interval. We investigated the incremental validity of NMR expectancies in the prediction of depressed mood in a sample of 122 adults, 73 of whom were reassessed approximately one year later. At baseline, both NMR expectancies and negative affect (NA) accounted for non-overlapping variance in depressed mood. However, NMR expectancies were the only significant predictor of depressed mood at follow-up, even after controlling for NA and baseline depressed mood. These findings support the incremental validity of NMR expectancies as specific mechanisms involved in maintenance of depressed mood.