Emotion Regulation as Predictor of Academic Performance in University Students

The current study intended to examine the association between emotion regulation (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and academic performance in university students. In this correlational study, a sample of 300 (men=119; women=181) university students (BS and MS programs) in the age range of 18-29 years (M=21.45; SD=2.14) was selected randomly from a public sector university in Faisalabad city, Pakistan. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003) was used to assess emotion regulation whereas the percentages of obtained marks in the last semester/degree program served as the measure of the academic performance of the participants. The results depicted a significant correlation between emotion regulation and academic performance indicating a significant positive association between cognitive reappraisal and academic performance while, a significant negative association between expressive suppression and academic performance in university students. Moreover, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression were found to be significant predictors of academic performance. Besides the significant implications of this study highlighting the role of relevant policymakers, university authorities, students’ counselors, and mental health professionals, suggestions for future studies are discussed based on the current findings.