ORIGINAL PAPER
Individual differences in polynomial trajectories of affect and emotion regulation over time:
Ending lockdown is not easy
1
Nantes Université, Université d’Angers, Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire, Nantes, France
2
Nîmes Université, Laboratoire CHROME, Nîmes, France
3
Nantes Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Mathématiques Jean Leray, Nantes, France
Submission date: 2025-07-30
Final revision date: 2026-03-19
Acceptance date: 2026-04-27
Online publication date: 2026-07-08
Corresponding author
Anne Congard
Nantes Université, Univ Angers, Laboratoire de psychologie des Pays de la Loire, LPPL, UR 4638, F-44000 Nantes, France
Nantes Université, Univ Angers, Laboratoire de psychologie des Pays de la Loire, LPPL, UR 4638, F-44000 Nantes, France
KEYWORDS
end of lockdownaffectemotion regulationCOVID-19longitudinallatent growth modelsidentification of stationary and inflexion points
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the scarcity of studies conducted immediately after the lockdowns underscores the ongoing relevance of retrospective analysis – especially regarding the lesser-known emotional experience of emerging from lockdown, compared to the widely documented harmful effects of confinement itself.
Participants and procedure:
We investigated the impact of the lockdown on individual differences in emotional states and regulation strategies, meas-ured weekly over 12 consecutive weeks in a sample of 187 individuals. Results, with identification of inflection points, also show that emotional regulation strategies were used more often at the beginning of lockdown and that some contributed to more negative experiences, whereas positive reappraisal, savoring, and problem-focused strategies seemed to protect against them.
Results:
Data also revealed a polynomial trajectory, often quartic, of affect and emotion regulation, highlighting distinct phases: shock during the first 2 weeks, characterized by strong negative affect and extensive strategy use; acceptance and adaptation during the last 6 weeks, characterized by stable affect and lower strategy use; and turbulent affect in the week following the announcement of the end of lockdown, followed by a clear improvement in perceptions and less strategy use, with four tra-jectory profiles reflecting individual differences during the period of uncertainty.
Conclusions:
This study may help reveal whether the patterns observed during lockdown and deconfinement are unique to these periods or reflect broader dynamics in emotional adaptation and regulation.
Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the scarcity of studies conducted immediately after the lockdowns underscores the ongoing relevance of retrospective analysis – especially regarding the lesser-known emotional experience of emerging from lockdown, compared to the widely documented harmful effects of confinement itself.
Participants and procedure:
We investigated the impact of the lockdown on individual differences in emotional states and regulation strategies, meas-ured weekly over 12 consecutive weeks in a sample of 187 individuals. Results, with identification of inflection points, also show that emotional regulation strategies were used more often at the beginning of lockdown and that some contributed to more negative experiences, whereas positive reappraisal, savoring, and problem-focused strategies seemed to protect against them.
Results:
Data also revealed a polynomial trajectory, often quartic, of affect and emotion regulation, highlighting distinct phases: shock during the first 2 weeks, characterized by strong negative affect and extensive strategy use; acceptance and adaptation during the last 6 weeks, characterized by stable affect and lower strategy use; and turbulent affect in the week following the announcement of the end of lockdown, followed by a clear improvement in perceptions and less strategy use, with four tra-jectory profiles reflecting individual differences during the period of uncertainty.
Conclusions:
This study may help reveal whether the patterns observed during lockdown and deconfinement are unique to these periods or reflect broader dynamics in emotional adaptation and regulation.
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