A Study on the Effect of Expressive Suppression and Cognitive Reappraisal in Predicting Stress and Anxiety Levels among Young Adults

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between emotion regulation strategies and psychological distress among young adults. Specifically, it investigated whether expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal were associated with levels of anxiety and perceived stress. A total of 120 young adults participated in the study. Standardized self-report instruments were used, including the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationships among the variables. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between expressive suppression and both anxiety and stress, indicating that individuals who frequently suppress emotional expression tend to experience higher levels of psychological distress. In contrast, cognitive reappraisal did not show a significant negative relationship with anxiety as hypothesized and demonstrated an unexpected positive association with stress in regression analysis. Overall, the results partially supported the proposed hypotheses and highlight the complex role of emotion regulation strategies in influencing mental health outcomes. The study contributes to the existing literature on emotion regulation and underscores the importance of examining adaptive and maladaptive strategies among young adults.