In a groundbreaking study poised to reshape our understanding of mental health during crises, researchers have unveiled the nuanced dynamics between emotion regulation strategies and their impact on anxiety and depression among college students subjected to COVID-19 confinement. Drawing from an extensive cohort of over thirteen thousand university students in Guangzhou City, China, this research exposes the intricate role of goal focus as a critical moderator in the psychological outcomes of pandemic-induced isolation.
The COVID-19 pandemic imposed unprecedented confinement measures globally, but the psychological ramifications of such isolation, especially on younger populations, have remained under intense scrutiny. This study meticulously dissects the emotional toll of enforced seclusion, highlighting how extended confinement exacerbated mood disturbances, particularly anxiety and depression, among college students. By comparing students under strict confinement policies with those in less restricted environments, the research offers valuable insights into how the severity of confinement modulates emotional responses.
Central to the investigation were two prominent emotion regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Cognitive reappraisal, generally lauded as a protective mechanism that reinterprets emotional stimuli to attenuate distress, demonstrated surprising variability in efficacy. In environments with moderate confinement, this strategy effectively reduced anxiety and depression levels. Contrarily, in highly restrictive settings, its benefits diminished and even reversed, suggesting that under extreme isolation, efforts to cognitively reframe circumstances might inadvertently heighten psychological distress.
Expressive suppression, characterized by inhibiting outward emotional expression, consistently exhibited a positive correlation with heightened anxiety and depression across both confinement scenarios. This finding underscores the maladaptive nature of suppressing emotions during prolonged stressful situations. Notably, the study reveals that as the students’ goal focus intensified, the negative consequences of expressive suppression were amplified, signaling an exacerbation of internalized distress under goal-driven pressures.
The concept of goal focus emerges as a pivotal variable that modulates the relationship between emotion regulation and psychological well-being. Traditionally regarded as a motivational benefit, heightened goal focus in this study paradoxically intensified the adverse effects of both cognitive reappraisal (in confined settings) and expressive suppression on mental health. This suggests that an increased fixation on personal goals during confinement may add layers of stress or cognitive load, thereby diminishing the adaptive capacity of emotion regulation strategies.
Methodologically, the research leveraged validated psychometric tools, including the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), PHQ-9 Depression Screening Scale, GAD-7 Anxiety Screening Scale, and the Resilience Scale, ensuring robust measurement of psychological constructs. The diverse sample and comparative approach between universities with and without stringent confinement provide a rigorous framework for causal inference regarding the interaction between environment, psychological strategies, and mental health outcomes.
The statistical analyses convey robust evidence of these relationships. Key findings include t-values exceeding conventional thresholds for significance, with p-values consistently below 0.01, reinforcing the reliability of associations between emotion regulation, confinement severity, goal focus, and mental health indicators. The interaction effects unfold complex psychological mechanisms operating under pandemic-induced stress, offering a fertile ground for future interventions.
In practical terms, these insights call for a nuanced re-evaluation of psychological support frameworks during pandemics or similar crises. Mental health practitioners must consider not only the emotion regulation strategies that individuals employ but also how personal motivational states, like goal focus, interact with these strategies under varying environmental constraints. Customized interventions that address this multifaceted interplay may yield better therapeutic outcomes.
Furthermore, this study illuminates the potential pitfalls of promoting certain emotion regulation tactics indiscriminately. For instance, encouraging cognitive reappraisal might backfire under extreme confinement, highlighting the necessity for mental health strategies tailored to contextual variables. Similarly, addressing the detrimental impact of expressive suppression necessitates interventions fostering emotional expression and resilience without increasing goal-related stress.
From a broader perspective, the findings resonate beyond the pandemic context, offering insights into human adaptability and psychological resilience under prolonged stressors. The study encourages a paradigm shift toward understanding mental health through a lens that integrates emotional, motivational, and environmental factors in a holistic framework.
In sum, this extensive analysis offers a compelling narrative on the psychological upheaval induced by COVID-19 confinements among college students, showcasing the critical moderating role of goal focus. As global societies grapple with ongoing and future public health emergencies, these findings provide an empirical basis for crafting nuanced, adaptive mental health interventions that consider the dynamic interactions between emotion regulation and motivational focus.
The research paves the way for interdisciplinary exploration combining psychology, behavioral science, and public health policy to mitigate the mental health fallout of enforced isolation. Future studies could investigate longitudinal effects, cultural differences, and the potential for digital mental health interventions tailored to varying motivational profiles and confinement intensities.
As universities and policymakers continue to navigate post-pandemic realities, incorporating these findings promises to enhance support structures, fostering resilience among vulnerable populations. This work highlights the imperative for precision in psychological interventions, ensuring they are contextually sensitive and aligned with individual motivational states to effectively safeguard mental well-being in the face of adversity.
Subject of Research: The psychological effects of emotion regulation strategies on anxiety and depression among college students during COVID-19 confinement, with a focus on goal focus as a moderating factor.
Article Title: The impact of emotion regulation strategies on anxiety and depression among college students in confinement situation due to COVID-19: a relevance model of goal focus as a moderator
Article References:
Xiao, M., Zhang, C., Chen, X. et al. The impact of emotion regulation strategies on anxiety and depression among college students in confinement situation due to COVID-19: a relevance model of goal focus as a moderator. BMC Psychiatry 25, 881 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07303-3
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07303-3
