Examination of the relationship between university students' emotion regulation skills, perceived social support and psychological resilience

The aim of the study is to reveal the mediating role of perceived social support in the relationship between cognitive emotion regulation and psychological resilience. In addition, the study aimed to determine the moderating role of demographic variables (gender, age, relationship status and family income level) in the effect of cognitive emotion regulation on psychological resilience. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study involving 434 university students (51.2% female, mean age 21.73±2.83 years) was conducted using a self-report questionnaire consisting of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Psychological Resilience Scale. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to test the proposed relationships. The results confirmed that cognitive emotion regulation strategies significantly influence perceived social support and psychological resilience. More specifically, adaptive strategies such as positive reappraisal and refocusing on planning were found to increase perceived social support and psychological resilience, whereas maladaptive strategies (e.g., self-blame, acceptance, and catastrophizing) showed the opposite effect. Importantly, perceived social support mediated the relationship between cognitive emotion regulation and resilience. However, demographic variables such as gender, age, relationship status, and family income did not show a moderating effect on this relationship. The findings underscore the importance of both cognitive emotion regulation and perceived social support in promoting psychological resilience among university students, with perceived social support serving a crucial mediating role. This research highlights the potential utility of interventions aimed at fostering adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and enhancing social support systems within the university context.