Exploring Emotional Regulation and Resilience in Adolescents: A Post-Pandemic Scenario

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic unfolded worldwide and had a profound impact across geography, economics, and social-emotional trajectories. Global medical collaboration has led to control of the pandemic, but disruptions have affected different age groups variedly. Facing sudden alterations to the curriculum, an overnight shift to online teaching-learning, disruptions to social life and daily routines, and dealing with boredom and loneliness, adolescents have particularly struggled to cope with the aftermath of a global health crisis.  Currently, there is limited research that has sufficiently explored adolescents’ capacity to cope in the face of this adversity, the risk, and protective factors that may underlie coping behaviour. Thus, it is important to understand the social-emotional status of the adolescent age group and the measures that will foster their holistic well-being. This quantitative research study investigates the relationship between emotional regulation and resilience among adolescents in the post-pandemic scenario. Self-report measures of adolescents (11-19 years; M=15.35 years) from Mumbai & Bengaluru (India), on the Difficulties with Emotional Regulation Scale-Short Form (DERS-SF, 2015) and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS, 2008), were utilized for this purpose. Results of the study indicated that students experiencing greater difficulties with emotional regulation reported a lower level of emotional resilience. This research study will also strive to recommend appropriate interventions that can assist stakeholders in supporting and promoting positive, healthy outcomes for adolescent wellbeing.