Despite the large literature linking emotion regulation with diverse mental health outcomes, relatively little attention has been given to what leads adolescents to engage in emotion regulation in the first place. This is a simple yet crucial component of the emotion regulation process that has, to date, been relatively overlooked. Recent research suggests that emotion controllability beliefs—the beliefs individuals hold about the extent to which emotions can be controlled—can influence both the degree to which and the ways in which they regulate emotions. In other words, individuals who believe emotions are relatively controllable are more likely to attempt to regulate their emotions and to persist in these efforts, with subsequent improvements in their mental health. This talk presents current theoretical models and empirical data linking these emotion beliefs to emotion regulation and adolescent mental health, as well as our collaborative work with secondary school students, through which we co-designed, implemented, and evaluated a novel emotion-focused intervention aimed at improving adolescent mental-health outcomes.

This seminar is part of the Child Development and Learning (CDL) Seminar Series.

Join in-person or online: teams.microsoft.com/meet/3799219398382?p=2e2iFubdvLDs8dvPmG