Emotion regulation styles and Adolescent adjustment following a COVID‐19 lockdown

Abstract

AbstractThis study explored the effect of emotion regulation styles ‐ integrative emotion regulation (IER), suppressive emotion regulation, and dysregulation—on adolescents' psychosocial adjustment following a Covid‐19‐related lockdown. 114 mother‐adolescent dyads were surveyed after lockdown and at two additional time points (three and six months later). Adolescents were aged 10–16 years, 50.9% females. Adolescents reported on their emotion regulation styles. Mothers and adolescents reported on adolescents' well‐being (depressive symptoms, negative and positive emotions) and social behaviour (aggression and prosocial behaviour). Results of multilevel linear growth models showed IER predicted optimal well‐being and social behaviour reported by both mothers and adolescents at baseline and a self‐reported reduction in prosocial behaviours over time. Suppressive emotion regulation predicted reduced self‐reported well‐being after lockdown, evident in higher levels of negative affect and depressive symptoms and reductions in mother‐reported prosocial behaviour over time. Dysregulation predicted reduced well‐being and impaired social behaviour after lockdown, reported by both mothers and adolescents, and a reduction in self‐reported depressive symptoms over time. Results suggest adolescents' adjustment to lockdown was affected by their habitual emotion regulation styles.