Emotion regulation, motivation and relationship quality at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020: 4-week experience sampling and 7-month longitudinal study in a healthy sample in a partner relationship

The present study was designed with the preliminary aim of using the resulting data set to answer several different research questions relating to emotion regulation and motivational relationship processes (see also pre-registrations at https://osf.io/72ejg/). Participants were eligible if they were in a heterosexual relationship at the time of inclusion in the study. One or both people from the partnership could participate.Participants completed various validated self-report questionnaires at study inclusion (see below). This was followed by an experience sampling survey over 28 days, during which questions on emotions and emotion regulation, workload/stress, proportion of time alone/with own interests/with others, as well as motivation, behavior, affect and relationship satisfaction were answered three times a day on their own smartphone. In addition, participants were asked to initiate a specific survey on their smartphone in the event of conflicts in the relationship. The experience sampling phase was followed by six monthly follow-up surveys. This resulted in a total survey period per person of 7 months.<br>Open response format was only offered if none of the given options were applicable (e.g. if emotions were regulated in a different way than standardized). Questionnaires:<br>- PHQ-9: Depressive symptoms<br>- DASS: Depressive and anxiety symptoms<br>- OCI-R: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms<br>- ISI: Insomnia<br>- AUDIT: Symptoms of alcohol abuse<br>- Whiteley Index: Illness anxiety<br>- WEMWBS: Psychological well-being<br>- ABC scales: explicit social needs/motives<br>- CSI: global relationship satisfaction<br>- ECR: attachment styles<br>- BFI: Big Five Personality<br>- SWLS: Life satisfaction<br>- SBCS: Secure base through the partner<br>Projective methods:<br>- PACT: Implicit motivesData analysis has already been completed for the following topics:1) The longitudinal data was used to investigate the predictive relationship between sleep and mental health during the corona pandemic (see Werner et al., 2022: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13641).2) The experience sampling data was used to examine the relationship between the intensity of emotional experience and the likelihood of interpersonal and intrapersonal emotion regulation (ER). The results show that the relationship between emotional intensity and interpersonal ER is stronger than for intrapersonal ER. A correlation with psychopathology (i.e. depressive symptoms before the start of the EMA survey) could not be found. (see Claus et al., 2025: https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001508)