Moderating effects of emotion regulation difficulties and resilience on students’ mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This study examined whether emotion regulation difficulties and resilience in college students moderated changes in mental health over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N = 321) completed surveys assessing mental health, in addition to levels of emotion dysregulation, and resilience during the pandemic, then utilized an anchoring prompt to recall mental health experiences before the pandemic. Correlations revealed participants with higher levels of emotion dysregulation also reported lower levels of resilience. Analyses using the SPSS Macro MEMORE (Montoya, 2019) revealed participants with higher levels of emotion regulation difficulties had greater increases in depression and insomnia, and greater decreases in well-being over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, while participants with lower levels of resilience had greater increases in depression, anxiety, and insomnia over the course of the pandemic. These results highlight the importance of additional support services and mental health training at universities to meet college students’ immediate and long-term emotional needs stemming from the pandemic.