An Examination of the Role of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation On the Link Between Social Anxiety and Well-being

Although there has been a recent shift to investigating interpersonal emotion regulation (IER), there are still key aspects of IER to understand generally and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Examining how individuals, including those with social anxiety, utilize and think about IER can provide insights into how this type of emotion regulation can impact well-being. It is crucial to investigate IER during the pandemic since in-person interpersonal interactions may have been disrupted due to physical distancing. Thus, the current study examined the relations between social anxiousness, IER, and well-being during this time. Emerging adults (n = 674) completed measures related to social anxiousness (social interaction, performance, and scrutiny anxiety as well as avoidance), IER (tendency and efficacy for positive and negative emotions), and well-being (subjective happiness, life satisfaction, and flourishing). Through a structural equation mediation model, it was demonstrated that social anxiousness is inversely linked to well-being and IER, and IER is positively linked to well-being in the context of the pandemic. Importantly, IER acted as a partial mediator on the link between social anxiousness and well-being. These results have implications for intervention including the development of student IER workshops to enhance the well-being of socially anxious university students while transitioning back to in-person learning.