An Investigation into the Relationship Between Emotional Regulation, Coping Skills, and Undergraduate Student’s Psychological Wellbeing

Middlehurst, Jessica (2019) An Investigation into the Relationship Between Emotional Regulation, Coping Skills, and Undergraduate Student’s Psychological Wellbeing. Manchester Metropolitan University. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

"The study aimed to investigate the relationship between the predictor variables of emotion regulation and coping skills on the criterion variable of psychological wellbeing (depression, anxiety, and stress). Previous research has shown emotion regulation strategies have the ability to influence psychological wellbeing (Hu et al., 2014; Verzeletti et al., 2016). Moreover, past literature has portrayed coping skills relate both positively and negatively to psychological wellbeing (Lopez, 2014; Baumstarck et al., 2017) The present study hypothesised that both cognitive reappraisal and coping skills would significantly predict psychological wellbeing amongst undergraduate university students. Seventy-three undergraduate students were recruited through opportunity sampling. They were tasked with completing the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), the Brief-Cope and the Depression-Anxiety-Stress-Scales (DASS). From the data, it was discovered that ERQ cognitive reappraisal significantly predicted DASS depression, DASS anxiety, and DASS stress. However, it was discovered that only avoidance coping skills were correlated with DASS depression, DASS anxiety, and DASS stress. Based on these findings, recommendations were discussed for future interventions to be implemented throughout higher education institutes. Interventions incorporating teachings of healthy coping styles and how to regulate one’s emotions would have the most beneficial influence on student’s psychological wellbeing. "