Emotion regulation strategies on psychological distress and psychological well-being of caregivers of mentally challenged children: moderating role of social support

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigates the moderating role of social support in the relationship between emotion regulation, psychological distress, and psychological well-being of caregivers of mentally challenged children. A total of 315 caregivers aged 18–62 (M age = 36.99, SD = 9.90; 38.7% male, 61.3% female) completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and Psychological Well-being Scale. The results indicated that social support significantly moderated the relationship between cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, and psychological well-being. However, the moderating effect of social support in the relationship between cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, and psychological distress was insignificant. The findings suggest that caregivers of mentally challenged children with high social support will report higher psychological well-being when they adopt cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression strategies.