The EPS is specifically designed to identify or distinguish differing patterns of emotional processing in various diagnostic groups and healthy individuals. The 5 subscales of the EPS (suppression, signs of unprocessed emotion, controllability of emotion, avoidance, and emotional experience), each assess different aspects of emotional processing. The term ‘emotional processing style’ refers to the characteristic way an individual or group (diagnostic condition, culture, profession etc) process significant emotional events.
The following are psychological conditions shown in research studies to have significantly different EPS scores from healthy controls: alcohol and drug abuse (Rouse et al., 2013); PTSD (Horsham & Chung, 2013); traumatic brain injury (Kinnunen, 2011); eating disorders (Newell, 2013); post-natal depression (Wilkins et al., 2009); youth offending (Gallagher & Galliver, 2013); and psychiatric outpatients (Kealy, Ogrodniczuk, & Howell-Jones, 2011).
The following are conditions which are medical or physical but without any clear organic pathology, shown to have significantly different scores on the EPS from healthy controls: migraine (Hansen, 2014); chronic low back pain (Esteves, Wheatley, Mayall, & Abbey, 2013); chronic neck pain (Mathias, 2013); chronic pain (Santonastaso, Gremigni, Baker, & Thomas, 2008b); chronic fatigue (Baker, Tosunlar, Richards, McDermott, & McDermott, 2005); fibromyalgia (Raleigh, 2003); and non-epileptic attack disorder (Novakova, Baker, Howlett & Reuber, 2015).
The following are medical conditions shown to be significantly different from healthy controls on the EPS: colorectal cancer (Lothian, 2002; Lothian et al., 2013); gastro-intestinal disorders (Santonastaso, Gremigni, Baker, & Thomas, 2008a); lung cancer (Lauriola, 2013); rheumatoid arthritis (Raleigh, 2003); and stroke (Blumenau, 2012).
The EPS is also designed for use with healthy individuals such as community samples, students, different nationalities of healthy groups and pregnant women.
We are constantly being surprised at new applications of the scale so this is not an exhaustive list