Relationship between Neuroticism, Emotional Regulation Strategies, and Self- Stigma of Seeking Psychological Help

Abstract

Improving mental health outcomes requires a thorough understanding of the intricate connections between personality traits, emotional regulation, and help-seeking behaviour. The current study used a sample of 185 young adults aged 18-25 years to examine the relationships between neuroticism, the emotional regulation strategies of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, and the self-stigma of seeking psychological help. It also sought to determine the impact of neuroticism on these emotional regulation strategies and the self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help using the Kundu’s Neurotic Personality Inventory, Emotional Regulation Questionnaire and the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale. The results showed no correlation between neuroticism and the self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help. However, there were substantial correlations between neuroticism and both strategies for emotional regulation studied. Regression analysis provided more evidence of neuroticism's significant effect on them. The use of cognitive reappraisal was shown to be inversely correlated with neuroticism, indicating that those with high levels of neuroticism are less likely to successfully apply this adaptive emotion regulation strategy. Conversely, there was a significant positive correlation found between neuroticism and expressive suppression, suggesting that those with high levels of neuroticism are more prone to utilize this unhealthy method of controlling their emotions. These findings demonstrates the negative effects of neuroticism on a person's capacity to control their emotions and emphasize the need of addressing emotion regulation strategies in treatments aimed at populations with high levels of neuroticism.