Academic stress, coping, emotion regulation, affect and psychosomatic symptoms in higher education

This study aimed to examine the associations between perceived stress, coping, emotion dysregulation, affect and psychosomatic symptoms in higher education. Participants were 183 first-year undergraduates (84% female) that completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Brief-COPE, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the PANAS, and the Manifestations of Physical Discomfort Questionnaire. Significant gender differences were found in perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms (both higher in women), and in coping (emotional vs. humour support strategies higher for women and men, respectively). Process analysis showed that emotion dysregulation partially mediated the association between perceived stress and affect and psychosomatic symptoms. Only positive reframing partially mediated the association between perceived stress and positive affect. Emotion dysregulation seems to play an important role in the development of negative affect and psychosomatic symptoms in higher education students. This could encourage institutions to promote developmental programs targeting emotion regulation to support students in the transition to higher education.