Adaptive Emotion Regulation Research Articles

A central serotonin regulating gene polymorphism (TPH2) determines vulnerability to acute tryptophan depletion-induced anxiety and ventromedial prefrontal threat reactivity in healthy young men

Serotonin (5-HT) has long been implicated in adaptive emotion regulation as well as the development and treatment of emotional dysregulations in mental disorders. Accumulating evidence suggests a genetic vulnerability may render some individuals at a greater risk for the detrimental effects of transient variations in 5-HT signaling. The present study aimed to investigate whether individual variations in the Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) genetics influence susceptibility for behavioral and neural threat reactivity dysregulations during transiently decreased 5-HT signaling. To this end, interactive effects between TPH2 (rs4570625) genotype and acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) on threat reactivity were examined in a within-subject placebo-controlled pharmacological fMRI trial (n = 51). A priori genotype stratification of extreme groups (GG vs. TT) allowed balanced sampling. While no main effects of ATD on neural reactivity to threat-related stimuli and mood state were observed in the entire sample, accounting for TPH2 genotype revealed an ATD-induced increase in subjective anxious arousal in the GG but not the TT carriers. The effects were mirrored on the neural level, such that ATD specifically reduced ventromedial prefrontal cortex reactivity towards threat-related stimuli in the GG carriers. Furthermore, the ATD-induced increase in subjective anxiety positively associated with the extent of ATD-induced changes in ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity in response to threat-related stimuli in GG carriers. Together the present findings suggest for the first time that individual variations in TPH2 genetics render individuals susceptible to the anxiogenic and neural effects of a transient decrease in 5-HT signaling.

Predicting profiles of post-trauma adaptation in first responders and civilians after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings: The role of distress, growth, and emotion regulation.

Responses to trauma are often characterized either by the presence or absence of psychological distress; however, the process of adapting after trauma also includes potential positive change. While some studies document that the majority of individuals exposed to single event terrorism report low levels of psychological distress, more research is needed to understand different adaptation profiles following this type of trauma, and the factors that might predict responses. We examined post-trauma responses in 257 first responders/medical professionals (66.8 percent) and civilians (33.2 percent) exposed to the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings. Data for post-trauma profiles-post-traumatic growth (PTG), post-traumatic stress, and emotion regulation-and profile predictors-trauma proximity, trauma history, and coping flexibility-were collected approximately 2.5 years after the bombings. Latent profile analysis identified response profiles, and multinomial logistic regression identified demographic, event-specific, and psychological predictors of profile membership. Four profiles emerged: (1) symptomatic, (2) resistant, (3) resilient, and (4) struggling growth. First responder role decreased the odds of belonging to the struggling growth profile, as compared to the symptomatic profile. Greater coping flexibility and adaptive emotion regulation increased the odds of membership in the struggling growth, rather than symptomatic profile. A subset of individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms years after trauma exposure may also be utilizing flexible, adaptive coping strategies and experiencing PTG. First responders may have difficulty experiencing simultaneous -distress and growth, and interventions designed to promote healthy post-trauma adaptation for this population could be tailored accordingly.

Incongruent affect in early childhood: Neurobiological markers and links to psychopathology.

Researchers have long investigated emotion-related facial expressions, such as smiling and frowning, to further the field's understanding of behavior, emotions, and psychopathology. Fewer studies have examined incongruent affect; facial expressions that do not match internal emotional experiences (e.g., smiling during frustration). Although not extensive, current accounts of incongruent affect in early childhood have assumed that these expressions indicate masking, an active regulatory process. Thus, many researchers contend that incongruent affect represents an adaptive emotion regulation strategy. However, little attention has been paid to incongruent affect, and its neurobiological correlates in early childhood. The present study examined complete versus partial incongruent smiling in preschool-aged children (3.5- to 5-years-old) who completed a frustration-eliciting task. We examined simultaneous neurobiological markers of incongruent smiles using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and galvanic skin response (GSR) and tested links to parent-rated emotion regulation and psychopathology. Neutral and negative expressions were assessed as comparison expressions. Results revealed that complete incongruent smiling predicted poor effortful control, whereas partial incongruent smiling was not a significant predictor of regulation, neurobiological changes, or psychopathology. Neutral expressions predicted better effortful control skills and adaptive physiological response patterns. Results suggest that incongruent affect may signal poor regulation of positive affectivity in low-interpersonal contexts, while neutral expressions may act as masking expressions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Individual differences in peace of mind reflect adaptive emotion regulation

Well-being consists of several different dimensions, such as hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. However, peace of mind (PoM)—an aspect of well-being characterized by internal peace and harmony—has only recently begun to receive attention. It has been shown that PoM predicts important outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. An open question is what underlies individual differences in PoM. One important factor may be emotion regulation. However, to date, no studies have been conducted on PoM and emotion regulation. Here, we investigated the relationship between individual differences in PoM and trait emotion regulation. In two studies, participants from Finland (Study 1, N = 417) and the US (Study 2, N = 303) completed measures of PoM, trait emotion regulation, and other aspects of well-being and ill-being. Results showed that people with higher levels of PoM displayed a greater tendency to use cognitive reappraisal and a lesser tendency to use expressive suppression. Our findings suggest that adaptive emotion regulation may play an important role in explaining PoM and may serve as a promising target for interventions designed to enhance PoM.

Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy With Compassion-Focused Therapy for the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder: An Evidence-Based Case Study

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based treatment for social anxiety disorder that has been found to elicit significant changes in process-based mechanisms (e.g., emotion regulation strategies), which subsequently lead to reductions in social anxiety and associated functional impairment; however, CBT may be less effective for socially anxious individuals experiencing high self-criticism and low self-compassion. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) has been used to address these tendencies in socially anxious individuals, but research in this area is limited. The present case study examined changes in social anxiety symptoms, self-compassion, emotion regulation strategies, and functional impairment throughout the course of treatment with a young, Chinese American woman using a novel integration of CBT and CFT for social anxiety disorder. The client experienced significant reductions in social anxiety and functional impairment across treatment, which was accompanied by reductions in fear and avoidance ratings for feared social scenarios. Significant mechanistic changes were also observed, including decreases in maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (i.e., suppression, rumination) and increases in self-compassion and adaptive emotion regulation strategies (i.e., expressive engagement, cognitive reappraisal). Findings support the efficacy of integrating compassion-focused strategies with CBT for social anxiety for a young adult with prominent tendencies of self-criticism and low self-compassion.

Student Burnout in Children and Adolescents: The Role of Attachment and Emotion Regulation.

In an effort to explain the factors contributing to the development of student burnout, a construct that has received attention in relation to academic outcomes, including burnout, is emotion regulation. Further, attachment theory has been used to explore the variations in the use of particular emotion regulation strategies, and attachment has received support as a contributing factor. The aim of the study is to explore the role of attachment security and emotion regulation strategies associated with student burnout symptoms in a sample of 602 Romanian children and adolescents (55% female) aged 8-16 (M = 10.45) from 18 schools. A secondary objective was to explore the gender differences in burnout symptoms. The results show that attachment security negatively predicts student burnout symptoms. Further, a higher attachment security positively predicts the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies, which, in turn, are negatively related to student burnout. Emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationship between attachment and burnout symptoms. No gender differences have been identified. The study has practical implications for both parents and specialists, bringing to attention the importance of secure attachment in children, which could further encourage the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies.

Sense of Purpose and Strategies for Coping with Anxiety Across Adulthood

Abstract: Sense of purpose – the feeling that one has meaningful goals and directions in life – has consistently been connected to desirable well-being outcomes. Though these associations are robust, only a paucity of research explains why this connection exists and whether it differs across the adult lifespan. In a large cross-sectional sample ( N = 1,666; age: M = 49.44, SD = 21.55), age showed a moderate positive association with sense of purpose and a large negative association with anxiety symptoms. Sense of purpose was negatively associated with anxiety and showed moderate to strong associations with how people regulate their emotions in anxiety-inducing situations. Sense of purpose had the strongest associations with adaptive emotion-regulation strategies connected to perspective broadening: When they feel anxious, people with a higher sense of purpose were more likely to find a silver lining, focus on the big picture, and remember that the stressor will not last. Furthermore, sense of purpose moderated the relationship between age and three maladaptive emotion-regulation strategies (eating/drinking to cope, expressive suppression, and distraction). In particular, higher levels of sense of purpose correlated with a stronger negative relationship between age and the use of these strategies. We discuss the findings regarding integrating the purpose and emotion-regulation literature.

The Promise of Affective Language for Identifying and Intervening on Psychopathology

We are in dire need of innovative tools for reducing the global burden of psychopathology. Emerging evidence suggests that analyzing language (i.e., the words people use) can grant insight into an individual's emotional experiences, their ability to regulate their emotions, and even their current experiences of psychopathology. As such, linguistic analyses of people’s everyday word use may be a diagnostic marker of emotional well-being, and manipulating the words people use could foster adaptive emotion regulation and mental health. Given the ubiquity of language in everyday life, such language-based tools for measuring and intervening in emotion and mental health can advance how we identify and treat mental illnesses at a large scale. In this paper, I outline the promise of this approach and identify key problems we must solve if we are to make it a reality. In particular, I summarize evidence connecting language, emotion, and mental health for three key constructs: sentiment (i.e., the valence of one’s language), linguistic distancing (i.e., using language to separate oneself from distressing stimuli), and emotion differentiation (i.e., using words to specifically identify one’s emotions). I also identify open questions in need of attention for each of these constructs and this area of research as a whole. Overall, I believe the future is bright for the application of psycholinguistic approaches to mental health detection and intervention.

The effect of picture book reading on young children's use of an emotion regulation strategy.

Picture book reading is an enjoyable everyday activity for many young children with well-known benefits for language development. The present study investigated whether picture book reading can support young children's social-emotional development by providing a learning opportunity for the usage of emotion regulation strategies. Three-year-old children participated in two waiting situations designed to elicit negative affect. Between these waiting situations they read a picture book. In two experimental conditions, the book depicted how a protagonist (same-aged peer or young adult, respectively) waited for a desired object and distracted herself with toys while waiting. Children in an additional control condition read a picture book that was unrelated to waiting. Use of distraction did not differ between conditions. Parents often read picture book interactively with their children. Therefore, in an additional condition (Exp. 2), the experimenter read the picture book featuring the same-aged peer protagonist in an interactive way intended to facilitate transfer. Apart from the reading style, the design was identical to experiment 1. Experiment 2 intended to test whether changes in reading style lead to differences in three-year old children's social-emotional learning from picture books. When controlling for the children's picture book experience, children in the experimental conditions exhibited an increase in distraction in contrast to children in the control condition. In sum, results suggest that picture book reading could be an ecologically valid and versatile method for supporting 3-year-old children in their use of an age-appropriate adaptive emotion regulation strategies such as distraction.

Interactions between insomnia, sleep duration and emotional processes: An ecological momentary assessment of longitudinal influences combining self-report and physiological measures.

Previous studies indicated that further investigation is needed to understand how insomnia disorder interacts with emotional processes. The present study is an ecological momentary assessment evaluating the link between emotional and sleep alterations in patients with insomnia. Physiological (heart rate and heart rate variability) and subjective (sleep and emotions) indices were observed for 5 days in patients with insomnia disorder (n = 97), good sleepers under self-imposed sleep restriction (n = 41), and good sleepers with usual amount of sleep (n = 45). We evaluated differences in emotion regulation strategies and in valence and variability of emotional experiences. Over 5 days, patients with insomnia showed increased sleep and emotional difficulties compared with both control groups. Independent from group allocation, days with more negative emotions were associated with higher sleep alterations. Longer wake episodes at night and higher diurnal heart rate were associated with increased variations in emotion experienced during the day. Only in patients with insomnia, use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies was associated with higher sleep efficiency. Our data showed that alterations in sleep and emotional processes are closely linked. A combination of strategies targeting both sleep and emotional processes appears promising in the prevention and treatment of insomnia disorder.

Emotion Regulation as the Role Moderator of Self-Esteem on Adolescents Fear of Missing Out

Fear of missing out (FoMO) is derived from the anxiety that arises when an individual feels excluded from informational and experiential aspects due to exposure to social media. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the contribution of emotion regulation as a moderator on the role of self-esteem on adolescents fear of missing out. A quantitative method employing a causality design was employed, involving 349 active social media users aged 15 to 18. The measurement tools used consisted of psychological scales, namely fear of missing out, two-dimensional self-esteem, and emotion regulation questionnaire. Furthermore, the data analysis was conducted using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA), which reported a significant impact of self-esteem on fear of missing out, with emotion regulation acting as a moderator. The result showed the significance of adolescents possessing positive self-esteem coupled with adaptive emotion regulation to mitigate the inclination towards experiencing fear of missing out while using social media.

Non-suicidal self-injury in Portuguese college students: relationship with emotion regulation, resilience and self-compassion

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) are behaviors relatively frequent among college students and seem to be associated to difficulties in emotion regulation. Less is known, however, about the relationship of NSSI with protective factors such as resilience and self-compassion. The aims of this study are to compare three groups of Portuguese college students (without NSSI, past NSSI, and current NSSI) regarding difficulties in emotion regulation, resilience, and self-compassion and to evaluate the predictors of NSSI considering demographics and those risk and protective factors. Three hundred and eighty-five college students were evaluated through self-report measures. Ninety participants (23.4%) reported lifetime NSSI. These participants reported higher difficulties in emotion regulation and lower resilience and self-compassion than the group without NSSI. The group with current NSSI presented the lowest levels of resilience and self-compassion. Lifetime NSSI was significantly associated with past suicide attempts. Past psychopathology and lower self-compassion were predictors of NSSI. Interventions for decrease NSSI in college students should promote adaptive emotion regulation strategies, resilience, and self-compassion.

Athletes' basic psychological needs and emotions: the role of cognitive reappraisal.

In sport, where high achievements are at stake, athletes often feel pressure and emotions that hinder their performance. Emotion regulation becomes essential for athletes to handle stress, achieve optimal performance, and enhance their overall well-being. To advance both research and practical applications, it is crucial to examine the antecedents of emotion regulation and the impact on emotions and other feelings associated with performance. Specifically, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the role of athletes' emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) in the relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction, emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences. The sample consisted of 424 competitive athletes (246 men and 178 women) involved in individual sports (n = 164; e.g., fencing, gymnastics, martial arts, swimming, and tennis) or team sports (n = 260; e.g., basketball, rugby, soccer, and volleyball), aged 16-36 years (M = 23.08, SD = 7.65). Their competitive experience ranged from 1 to 21 years (M = 9.71, SD = 6.34) at regional (71%), national (18%), or international (11%) level, and they practiced their sport on average 3.74 times a week (SD = 1.73). Participants completed measures of basic needs satisfaction (i.e., competence, autonomy, and relatedness), emotion regulation style, emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences. Structural equation modeling results showed that competence need satisfaction was positively associated with pleasant emotions and psychobiosocial experiences that are perceived as functional for performance, and negatively associated with a maladaptive emotion regulation style (i.e., expressive suppression) and unpleasant emotions. Relatedness need satisfaction was positively related to an adaptive emotion regulation style (i.e., cognitive reappraisal), pleasant emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences, and negatively related to expressive suppression and unpleasant emotions. Finally, mediation analysis showed positive indirect effects from autonomy and relatedness satisfaction to pleasant emotions and psychobiosocial experiences via cognitive reappraisal. Findings suggest that the satisfaction of athletes' basic psychological needs of autonomy and relatedness is related to the experience of pleasant emotions and functional psychobiosocial states when they adopt an adaptive emotion regulation style.

Using connectome-based models of working memory to predict emotion regulation in older adults.

Older adulthood is characterized by enhanced emotional well-being potentially resulting from greater reliance on adaptive emotion regulation strategies. However, not all older adults demonstrate an increase in emotional well-being and instead rely on maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. An important moderator of age-related shifts in strategy preferences is working memory and its underlying neural circuitry. As such, individual differences in the neural integrity underlying working memory may predict older adults' emotion regulation strategy preferences. Our study used whole-brain working memory networks-derived from young adults using connectome-based predictive modeling-to predict working memory performance and acceptance strategy use in healthy older adults. Older adults (N = 110) completed baseline assessments as part of a randomized controlled trial examining the impact of mind-body interventions on healthy aging. Our results revealed that the working memory networks predicted working memory accuracy but not acceptance use or difficulties in emotion regulation in older adults. Individual differences in working memory performance, but not working memory networks, moderated relationships between image intensity and acceptance use. These findings highlight that robust neural markers of working memory generalize to an independent sample of healthy older adults but may not generalize beyond cognitive domains to predict emotion-based behaviors.

Adolescents in acute mental health crisis—Pilot-evaluation of a low-threshold program for emotional stabilization

BackgroundReferrals for child and adolescent acute psychiatric treatment have spiked in the last two years. To provide these adolescents with a fast-acting intervention, a novel treatment approach for acute emotional dysregulation was evaluated in this study.Methods156 adolescents between the age of 13 and 18 years who were admitted to a psychiatric unit for acute emotional or behavioral dysregulation participated in a 5-week-group program (Stress-Arousal- Regulation-Treatment, START) which consisted of two sessions per week (60 min/session). Pre- and post intervention psychometric measures were derived for each participant applying the Self-Control Scale (SCS-13), the FEEL-KJ capturing adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), as well as the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).ResultsThe mean score of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies of the FEEL-KJ significantly decreased post treatment (d = −0.24, p = .001), while there was an increase in adaptive emotion regulation strategies (d = 0.25, p = .001). The post- intervention-assessment revealed significantly lower scores in the PSS-10 (d = −0.34, p < 0.001), as well as SDQ mental health problems (d = −0.17, p = .018) and disorders (d = −0.15, p = .015). The Self-Control Score increased significantly after the intervention (d = 0.21, p = .001).ConclusionsIn this large sample, the low-threshold intervention START significantly improved emotion regulation and self-control and reduced perceived stress as well as several scales of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire, pointing to a good feasibility and indicating efficiency to provide support to adolescents with acute mental health problems when applying this short-term treatment.

Exploring putative therapeutic mechanisms of change in a hybrid compassion-focused, ecological momentary intervention: Findings from the EMIcompass trial

Compassion-focused interventions represent a promising transdiagnostic approach, but the mechanisms involved in hybrid delivery combining face-to-face sessions and an ecological momentary intervention remain unexplored. The current study aimed at exploring associations of putative mechanisms with clinical outcomes at post-intervention/follow-up and mediation of outcome at follow-up by preceding pre-to post-intervention changes in putative mechanisms. The compassion-focused EMIcompass intervention was applied in an exploratory randomized controlled trial (treatment as usual (TAU) vs. TAU + EMIcompass) with youth with early mental health problems. Data was collected before randomization, at post-intervention and at four-week follow-up. We recruited N = 92 participants, N = 46 were allocated to the experimental condition. After control for baseline levels of the target outcomes, baseline-to post-intervention improvement in adaptive emotion regulation was associated with lower levels of clinical outcomes (e.g. psychological distress b = −1.15; 95%CI = −1.92 to −0.39) across time points. We could not detect indirect effects, but we observed associations of change in self-compassion and adaptive emotion regulation with outcomes at follow-up in the mediation analysis (e.g., β = −0.35, 95%CI = −0.52 to −0.16). If successfully targeted by interventions, self-compassion and emotion regulation may be promising putative therapeutic mechanisms of change.

Childhood attachment security mediates the effect of childhood maltreatment chronicity on emotion regulation patterns in emerging adulthood

ABSTRACT This study uses a 2-wave, longitudinal design to evaluate mother-child attachment security (child-reported) and emotion regulation capacities (wave 1, age 10-12) as mediators linking childhood maltreatment chronicity and emotion regulation (ER) patterns in emerging adulthood (wave 2; N = 399; 48.1% male; 77.2% Black/African-American, 11.3% White, 7.8% Hispanic, 3.8% other race). Children from families eligible for public assistance with and without maltreatment exposure participated in a summer research camp (wave 1) and were recontacted in emerging adulthood (wave 2). SEM results showed that greater maltreatment chronicity predicted lower childhood attachment security, which in turn predicted membership in ER profiles marked by emotion dysregulation and limited access to ER strategies. Greater attachment security predicted membership in adaptive ER profiles in emerging adulthood. Results suggest that insecure attachment is one process by which childhood maltreatment disrupts adaptive ER across development, whereas greater attachment security in childhood can promote multiple forms of adaptive emotion regulation.

WEB APPLICATION METHOD "3D EMOTION COMPOSITION IN SUPERVISION" APPROBATION

The global pandemic has accelerated the development of the digital environment, face-to-face work is transferred online, so it is important to create tools adapted to the digital environment. The emergency of Covid-19 has raised the demand for online supervision. In supervision sessions, it is important to talk about experiencing emotions in a professional environment. Latvia lacks digital methods for working with emotions in supervision. The aim of the study was to adapt the 3DEC method, to create it as a web application for use in remote supervision and to approbate the web application "3D emotion composition in supervision" in individual online supervisions. The original method 3DEC is intended for the evaluation of emotional experience in the practice of art therapists (Lejstrauta, 2021; Vanadziņa, 2021). The theoretical basis of the 3DEC method is integrative and includes the following principles: visual representation of emotions in a visible symbolic form; play and play space (Winnicot, 2007); distancing as one of the cognitive emotion regulation strategies (Powers LaBar, 2019). 3DEC is also based on the Adaptive Coping with Emotions Model (ACE Model) (Berking Whitley, 2014). The adapted method “3D composition of emotions in supervision” (3DECS) is intended for work in online supervision with the aim to promote awareness of emotions, their understanding and self–reflection. Using distancing and view of other perspectives, the method helps the client to reflect and become aware of emotional experiences, as well as provides an educational function about the meaning of emotions. The 3DECS method develops emotional awareness and adaptive emotion regulation skills. Main results: 1) the web application has been tested and is designed to work with emotions in supervision; 2) the data of the approbation stage show that the web application is sufficiently simple and intuitive; 3) the web application is secure because no information about the customer and the customer's actions in the tool is stored; 4) there are no restrictions on the use of the web application in relation to the duration of the cooperation between the supervisor and the supervision client.

Associations between maladaptive and adaptive emotion regulation strategies and aggressive behavior: A systematic review

Aggression has been found to have negative consequences for the victims and the aggressors. The general aggression model explains the process that results in aggressive outcomes, and it emphasizes the role of emotion regulation. The purpose of this review was to systematically review available evidence on the relationship between the use of emotion regulation strategies and aggression. The Medline and PsycInfo databases were searched for articles in English and Spanish and 104 studies were identified. These studies examined associations between maladaptive and adaptive emotional regulation strategies with different types of aggressive behavior. Together, their results provide evidence that maladaptive strategies (e.g., rumination) were positively associated with aggression, while adaptive ones (e.g., mindfulness) were negatively associated. This relationship appears to be consistent across ages, populations, and types of aggression. Most of the studies explored the relationship between aggression and arumination, with several experimental and longitudinal studies supporting that this strategy leads to higher levels of aggression. However, most of the studies with adult samples used university participants, and only a few examined the simultaneous usage of adaptive and maladaptive strategies. Findings are discussed in relation to the general model of aggression and the clinical applications of emotion regulation strategies.

¿La consciencia emocional conduce a la resiliencia? Diferencias en función del sexo en la adolescencia

Adolescence presents many challenges and changes, making the prevention of mental disorders significant. Resilience is considered a key factor in understanding the emotional development of adolescents, as it allows them to overcome adversity and learn to generate personal resources that promote their psychological well-being. Emotional awareness and emotional regulation are highlighted as protective factors against adversity. Emotional awareness refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and accept own and others’ emotions. In contrast, emotional regulation involves controlling emotions and modifying behavior to achieve goals, adapt to the context, or promote well-being. Although it is known that these factors have an important effect on the resilience capacities of adolescents, few empirical studies analyze this relationship. This study aims to examine the effect of emotional awareness on resilience, as well as the possible mediation of emotional regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and suppression), and to consider possible sex differences in a sample of 376 Spanish adolescents. Statistical techniques such as T-Test, Pearson correlation, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were applied. Factorial invariance between groups was also examined, and a structural invariance analysis was performed. The results indicate that emotional awareness itself does not have a direct effect on the resilience of adolescents. In addition, there are sex differences in the impact of emotional awareness on regulation strategies. Therefore, it is necessary to consider Emotional awareness as a necessary condition for developing adaptive emotional regulation strategies as cognitive restructuring in the design of programs that contemplate the promotion of resilience in adolescents.