Skip to main content
Log in

Online emotion regulation training for emerging adults: effects on psychological well-being

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The global rates of depression and other emotional problems have significantly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Young adults, although not at high risk for severe COVID-19 symptoms, are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems. This study aims to examine the effects of a five-week online emotion regulation training program on the emotion regulation abilities and overall psychological well-being of emerging adults. The study recruited 183 college students who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Online Emotion Regulation Training I (n = 63), Online Emotion Regulation Training II (n = 61), or a Wait-List Control group (n = 59). Assessments at baseline, two- weeks, four-weeks, the end of training, and three-months follow-up include depressive symptoms, stress, self-compassion, and emotion regulation. The results showed that the training reduced depressive mood and perceived stress, with sustained effects. Self-compassion improved with practice. The training improved some emotion regulation skills, but not all. The order of training activities did not significantly affect mental health outcomes but influenced the maintenance of emotion regulation skills. The study demonstrates the potential effectiveness of online emotion regulation training in enhancing mental health outcomes for young adults. Limitations of the study include the reliance on self-report measures and the relatively short follow-up period. In conclusion, online emotion regulation training shows promise as an accessible and effective intervention for improving mental health among young adults, but further research is needed to explore long-term effects and optimal training conditions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

References

Download references

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people who participated in the data collection:Wei-Ting Chen, Yu-Wen Huang, Yun-Xin Huang, Tz-Yu Lai, Mu-Yung Lin, Sin-Fong Shih, Chih-Yi Wen, and Yi Ching Yong.

Funding

This work was supported by NSTC (National Science and Technology Council) in Taiwan (grant number 110-2410-H-320-002).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wan-Lan Chen.

Ethics declarations

Ethics statement

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Research Ethics Committee, National Taiwan University. The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chen, WL. Online emotion regulation training for emerging adults: effects on psychological well-being. Curr Psychol 43, 18344–18355 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05649-7

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05649-7

Keywords

Navigation