Abstract

This study examined the mediating role of emotional schema and emotional dysregulation on the influence of affect intensity on psychological distress, and the moderating effect of emotional clarity on relationships between affect intensity, emotional schema, emotional dysregulation, and psychological distress. Data of 401 adults who completed the Affect intensity Measure, Trait Meta-Mood Scale, the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale Ⅱ, Difficulty in Emotional Regulation Scale, and Brief Symptoms Inventory-18 were analyzed. The results indicated that affect intensity was sequentially mediated by emotional schema and emotional dysregulation in the pathway of affect intensity to psychological distress. In addition, emotional clarity significantly moderated the relationship between affect intensity and psychological distress, although it did not moderate mediating effects of emotional schema on the relationship between affect intensity and emotional schema, the mediating effects of emotional schema on the relationship between affect intensity and psychological distress, or serial mediating effects of emotional schema and emotional dysregulation. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.