Understanding the Mental Health Implications of Emotion Regulation: A Journey Through Authenticity

Abstract

People utilize specific emotion regulation (ER) strategies to exert control over their emotions. Some of those strategies are beneficial for psychological well-being, whereas others are detrimental to it. Identifying the working mechanisms of ER can be helpful to better understand its mental health implications. Particular ER strategies which interfere with one's natural emotional responses might lead people to conclude that they are not performing their authentic selves. However, other ER strategies can be useful in keeping one’s authenticity intact. Given its importance for psychological well-being as well, the current study examined authenticity as a mediatory mechanism in explaining the link between the habitual use of certain ER strategies and negative psychological symptoms. Participants were 391 university students (294 females) with a mean age of 21.5 (SD = 2.22). Reappraisal, suppression, and enhancing positive affect among ER strategies were included as predictor variables into the tested path model. Psychological ill-being was tested as the outcome variable, and it was computed on the basis of the participants’ positive affect (reverse-coded), negative affect, depression, and stress levels. Trait authenticity was included as the mediator variable. The proposed model revealed a good fit to data, and the results suggested full support for the study predictions. Reappraisal negatively predicted psychological ill-being by leading to an increase in the authenticity levels. However, suppression intensified the negative psychological symptoms by lessening authenticity. Moreover, enhancing positive affect diminished psychological ill-being by fostering authenticity. Additionally, the mediating roles of specific authenticity dimensions were tested within the same model. Accordingly, 2 components of authenticity (i.e., self-awareness and autonomous behavior) mediated the relationship between ER and mental health. In the light of the present findings, it can be said that various ER strategies, which lead people to behave in accordance with their true selves, are protective in terms of psychological health. Further implications, limitations, and suggestions for future studies were discussed.