The Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Styles in Predicting students'Mental Health and Academic Performance

The current study aimed at determining the role of cognitive emotion regulation styles in predicting students' mental health and academic performance. This research was a correlational study. The sample included 240 students from the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili in the academic year 2019-20 that were selected by random cluster sampling. Data were obtained from the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (CERQ), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and the overall average score used to measure academic performance. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlational coefficient, multiple regression analysis, and independent t-tests. Results showed that positive refocusing reappraisal from adaptive cognitive emotion regulation styles and catastrophizing from maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation styles were the strongest predictors of psychological health in students. Furthermore, academic performance was positively associated with adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and was negatively associated with maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Positive refocusing reappraisal strategy was the strongest predictor of students' academic performance. In addition, the results also showed that men used the self-blame style more than women. Considering the role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in mental health and academic performance, educating cognitive emotion regulation strategies (especially positive refocusing reappraisal) can increase students' mental health academic performance.