Authors' Affiliations

Jessica M. Templeton, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Tess A. Simpson, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Diana Morelen, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Chelsea Robertson, Department of Psychology, College of Sciences, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV.

Location

D.P. Culp Center Ballroom

Start Date

4-5-2024 9:00 AM

End Date

4-5-2024 11:30 AM

Poster Number

169

Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor

Wallace Dixon

Faculty Sponsor's Department

Psychology

Classification of First Author

Undergraduate Student

Competition Type

Competitive

Type

Poster Presentation

Presentation Category

Social Sciences

Abstract or Artist's Statement

Emotion regulation is defined as adjusting emotional responses to emotion-related stimuli in socially appropriate ways. Effective emotion regulation decreases the potential for social conflict and encourages helping behaviors that promote high-quality, supportive dyadic communications. Emotion regulation may impact the perception of available social support. Social support, or feeling cared by loved ones, also promotes mental health and an increased quality of life. Less clear is the extent to which skills in emotion regulation may contribute to perceptions of emotional support. Therefore, the primary goal of the present study was to explore whether emotion regulatory skills would be correlated with perceptions of social support in a sample of caregivers. Using anonymous survey methodology, data were collected on caregiver perceived social support and emotion regulation difficulties. REDCap survey links were distributed across various social media outlets and relevant listservs. The 327 caregivers who fully completed both surveys identified primarily as white and biological mothers. We measured perceived social support with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and emotion regulation with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. As hypothesized, perceived social support and difficulties in emotion regulation were negatively correlated r(326) = -.40, p < .001. Although we make no assumptions regarding directions of effect between emotion regulatory skills and perceived social support, bidirectional influences seem likely. Given that effective emotion regulation helps to lower the intensity and duration of negative emotions, it might also affect one’s subjective perception and attainment of available support. Specifically, individuals with enhanced emotion regulatory skills may be less likely to engage in behaviors that avoid or strain relationships and may be more likely to seek support when needed. Seeking social support may ultimately create a positive feedback loop in which increased perceived social support can further improve one’s confidence and ability in regulating their emotions. Thus, this study provided useful expansion in the research of the relationships between emotion regulation and perceived social support. To further this research, however, future research could implore whether emotional regulatory skills differ among sources of social support, such as between family, friends, and significant others.

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Apr 5th, 9:00 AM Apr 5th, 11:30 AM

Exploring Emotion Regulation as a Predictor of Perceived Social Support Among Caregivers of Children

D.P. Culp Center Ballroom

Emotion regulation is defined as adjusting emotional responses to emotion-related stimuli in socially appropriate ways. Effective emotion regulation decreases the potential for social conflict and encourages helping behaviors that promote high-quality, supportive dyadic communications. Emotion regulation may impact the perception of available social support. Social support, or feeling cared by loved ones, also promotes mental health and an increased quality of life. Less clear is the extent to which skills in emotion regulation may contribute to perceptions of emotional support. Therefore, the primary goal of the present study was to explore whether emotion regulatory skills would be correlated with perceptions of social support in a sample of caregivers. Using anonymous survey methodology, data were collected on caregiver perceived social support and emotion regulation difficulties. REDCap survey links were distributed across various social media outlets and relevant listservs. The 327 caregivers who fully completed both surveys identified primarily as white and biological mothers. We measured perceived social support with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and emotion regulation with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. As hypothesized, perceived social support and difficulties in emotion regulation were negatively correlated r(326) = -.40, p < .001. Although we make no assumptions regarding directions of effect between emotion regulatory skills and perceived social support, bidirectional influences seem likely. Given that effective emotion regulation helps to lower the intensity and duration of negative emotions, it might also affect one’s subjective perception and attainment of available support. Specifically, individuals with enhanced emotion regulatory skills may be less likely to engage in behaviors that avoid or strain relationships and may be more likely to seek support when needed. Seeking social support may ultimately create a positive feedback loop in which increased perceived social support can further improve one’s confidence and ability in regulating their emotions. Thus, this study provided useful expansion in the research of the relationships between emotion regulation and perceived social support. To further this research, however, future research could implore whether emotional regulatory skills differ among sources of social support, such as between family, friends, and significant others.