Emotion Regulation Strategies in Paramedic Crew Leaders during a Simulated Stressful Task: A Qualitative Inquiry

In spite of a large body of research in the field of emotion regulation, this subject has not yet been studied vigorously in naturalistic settings, especially not in the context of task performance. Therefore, it remains uncertain whether predominant theoretical conceptualizations of emotion regulation (e.g., Gross, 1998) can be applied to this sort of situation. In this qualitative study, we aimed to identify emotion regulation strategies of paramedic crew leaders (n = 30) in a simulated task with a sudden onset of a stressful incident. For this purpose, we analyzed their emotional behavior (i.e., facial expression, voice volume, body posture and movements etc.) on video recorded performance, and their affective states and emotion regulation strategies based on interviews conducted right after the task. Verbal reports were analyzed via phenomenologically-laden template analysis. We classified emergent strategies into two basic categories: task-related (e.g., attention narrowing, mobilization to action, monitoring) and self-supportive ( e.g., emotional distancing, behavioral withdrawal, detachment and selective attention). Results of our analysis suggest that regulatory strategies are largely implemented on an implicit level of processing and their function might be a better criterion for their distinction than a type of mental process.