Interactions of emotion regulation and perceived stress in predicting emerging adults' subsequent internalizing symptoms

Emotion regulation is consistently linked to subsequent wellbeing, but little research has examined the moderating role of emotion regulation in longitudinal associations between mental health and other relevant factors. This study examines two specific emotion regulation strategies interacting with perceived stress to predict subsequent internalizing symptoms among emerging adults transitioning to college, a population for whom emotion regulation may be particularly important. A sample of 1130 college students provided data at three time points. Results indicated that cognitive reappraisal buffered against negative effects of stress, whereas expressive suppression was an independent risk factor for internalizing symptoms. Findings underscore the importance of emotion regulation, highlighting cognitive reappraisal as a protective factor against stress and further demonstrating the direct negative impacts of expressive suppression.