Associations Between Emotion Regulation and Life Satisfaction Among University Students From Germany, Hong Kong, and Japan: The Mediating Role of Social Support

Unraveling the core symptoms of mental health in senior grade three students- a network analysis

Background

Adolescence is not only an important transitional period of many developmental challenges, but also a high risk period for mental health problems. Psychotherapy is recommended for mental health problems in adolescents, but its effectiveness is not always satisfactory. One possible contributing factor may be the lack of clarity surrounding core symptoms.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the mental health status of senior grade three students, a group of adolescents facing college entrance exams, by the Middle School Student Mental Health Test (MHT) and analyzed the core symptoms by network analysis. This study was conducted through an online survey platform (www.xiaodongai.com) from 15 February 2023 to 28 March 2024. The subjects scanned a QR code with their mobile phone to receive the questionnaire.

Results

The mean age of these 625 students were 18.11 ± 2.90 years. There are 238 male participants and 387 female participants. 107 individuals scored above 56 (107/461, 23.2%), with individual scale scores over 8 up to over 60% of participating students. Notably, the top three prominent symptoms were "academic anxiety", "allergic tendency" and "somatic symptoms". However, upon conducting network analysis, it became evident that three strongest edges in this network were "somatic symptoms" and "impulsive tendency", "academic anxiety" and "social anxiety" as well as "social anxiety" and "Loneliness tendency". "somatic symptoms", "social anxiety" and "self-blame tendency" exerted the highest expected influence. This suggests that, statistically speaking, these three symptoms exhibited the strongest interconnections within the network.

Limitation

Cross-sectional analysis; Bias in self-reported variables.

Conclusion

These findings can deepen the knowledge of mental health among senior grade three students and provide some implications (i.e., targeting symptoms having highest expected influence) for clinical prevention and intervention to address the mental health needs of this particular group.

Hardiness and Expectations for Future Life: The Roles of Perceived Stress, Music Listening for Negative Emotion Regulation, and Life Satisfaction

This study investigated the relationship between hardiness and Korean adults' expectations for future life, and verified the multiple mediating effects of perceived stress, music listening for negative emotion regulation, and life satisfaction on that relationship. The participants were 412 Korean adults aged 20-65 years. PROCESS Macro 3.5 Model 80 was used to examine the multiple mediating effects. Correlational analysis showed that hardiness was positively correlated with music listening for negative emotion regulation, life satisfaction, and expectations for future life, whereas it was negatively correlated with perceived stress. Perceived stress was negatively correlated with life satisfaction and expectations for future life, whereas music listening for negative emotion regulation was positively correlated with life satisfaction and expectations for future life. In the multiple mediation model, the relationships between hardiness and expectations for future life, the sequential mediating effect of perceived stress and life satisfaction, and the sequential mediating effect of music listening for negative emotion regulation and life satisfaction were significant. The direct effect of hardiness on expectations for future life was also significant, indicating that perceived stress, music listening for negative emotion regulation, and life satisfaction only partially mediated the relationship between hardiness and expectations for future life. It seems, thus, that perceived stress, music listening for negative emotion regulation, and life satisfaction play an important role in Korean adults' expectations for future life.

Longitudinal associations of neuroticism with life satisfaction and social adaptation in a nationally representative adult sample

OBJECTIVE

Correlational studies have frequently linked neuroticism to lower well-being and poorer social adaptation. In this study, we examined the longitudinal associations of neuroticism with life satisfaction and aspects of social adaptation (i.e., loneliness, number of close friends, and interpersonal trust).

METHOD

Cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) and random intercepts cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) were used to analyze the prospective associations between variables in a nationally representative adult sample from Germany (N = 5,663 to 11,079 per analysis; 2-4 measurement waves with lags of 4-5 years).

RESULTS

CLPMs indicated that higher neuroticism was related to lower life satisfaction, higher loneliness, fewer friends, and lower interpersonal trust, but not vice versa. At the within-person level, RI-CLPMs revealed similar findings with increased neuroticism predicting decreases in life satisfaction, increases in loneliness, and decreases in interpersonal trust. Indices of social adaptation partially mediated the link between neuroticism and life satisfaction at the between-person but not at the within-person level. Exploratory multigroup analyses support the generalization of the cross-lagged effects of neuroticism on life satisfaction and social adaptation across age, gender, and geographical regions (East versus West Germany).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the role of neuroticism in shaping psychosocial outcomes over time.

Post accidental injury: Mediating roles of emotional expressivity, rumination, and posttraumatic growth

This study explored the relationship between rumination (deliberate or intrusive), emotional expressivity (positive or negative), and posttraumatic growth among patients within 1 month after an accidental injury. Using a cross-sectional design, 313 patients were investigated in two comprehensive hospitals. The results revealed that intrusive rumination had a significant positive effect on posttraumatic growth, partly through four different pathways: (i) the mediating role of deliberate rumination; (ii) the chain mediating role of deliberate rumination and negative emotional expressivity; (iii) the chain mediating role of negative emotional expressivity and positive emotional expressivity; and (iv) the chain mediating role of negative emotional expressivity, positive emotional expressivity, and deliberate rumination. Interventions to encourage emotional expressivity and facilitate the transition from intrusive rumination to deliberate rumination may promote posttraumatic growth soon after an accidental injury.

Regulation of positive and negative emotions across cultures: does culture moderate associations between emotion regulation and mental health?

Emotion regulation (ER) has been frequently linked to mental health (MH) with previous research focussing on a limited range of ER strategies. The present study examined whether strategies for the regulation of positive and negative emotions are differently related to MH (i.e. higher subjective well-being, less depressive symptoms) across cultures. Two samples consisting of 524 Japanese and 476 German-speaking ("Germans") university students completed our survey. Moderation analyses revealed cultural similarities and differences in associations between ER and MH. Across cultures, distraction from negative emotions, savouring positive emotions, and reappraisal were related to better MH, whereas distraction from positive emotions and ruminating on negative experiences were related to worse MH. Moreover, the link between rumination and lower well-being was significantly weaker among Japanese compared to Germans. Expressive suppression was related to lower MH among Germans only. Contrary to the German pattern, suppressing negative emotions out of empathic concern was associated with better MH among Japanese, which was mediated by interdependent self-construal. Our findings suggest that masking negative emotions out of concern for others might be an adaptive strategy for Japanese by reinforcing interdependent values. We highlight the role of culture and the importance of distinguishing different ER strategies and emotion types.

Cybervictimization and well-being among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating roles of emotional self-efficacy and emotion regulation

Cybervictimization has been linked to adverse psychological consequences but little is known about the mechanisms linking cybervictimization to lower well-being. We conducted two studies to examine emotional self-efficacy and distinct emotion regulation strategies as potential mediators in the relationship between cybervictimization and lower well-being among German adolescents during the school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. In Study 1, 107 adolescents (M_age = 15.76) reported their cybervictimization frequency, emotional self-efficacy beliefs, and aspects of well-being (i.e., self-esteem, perceived social support, and subjective well-being during the COVID-19 related school closures). Emotional self-efficacy mediated the link between cybervictimization and all well-being measures. Specifically, cybervictimization was related to lower well-being through lower self-efficacy for managing negative emotions. For further examination, in Study 2, 205 adolescents (M_age = 15.45) were asked to report their cybervictimization experiences, use of specific emotion regulation strategies (rumination, reappraisal, and suppression), and well-being (i.e., self-esteem and life satisfaction). Cybervictimization was related to lower well-being through more rumination, but not through reappraisal or suppression. Taken together, our findings suggest that cybervictims may have lower emotional self-efficacy beliefs and engage in more rumination, a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy. These deficits in adolescents’ beliefs and capabilities for effectively managing negative emotions may be accountable for the adverse psychological consequences of cybervictimization. Notably, exploratory analyses suggest that cybervictimization frequency did not increase among adolescents during the lockdown (e.g., homeschooling, social distancing) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.