The management and expression of emotions can have a positive impact on psychological health and overall functioning. Thus, it is crucial to focus on the study of emotion regulation and the strategies young adults employ to achieve it, namely cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, as well as their associations with the long neglected psychosocial factors. The current study aimed at exploring the associations between psychosocial factors and the two emotion‐regulation strategies, after controlling for potential sociodemographic confounders. This study used a sample of 136 participants from the Indian subcontinent living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, aged 18–25 years, who completed instruments measuring social anxiety, social support, and parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive) as well as the use of the emotion‐regulation strategies of suppression and reappraisal. The results indicated that having experienced authoritarian parenting and perceiving low social support were associated with the use of suppression, while having experienced authoritative parenting and low levels of social anxiety were associated with the use of emotional reappraisal. Our study provides evidence on the importance of psychosocial factors for the use of emotion‐regulation strategies and suggests their modification for the promotion of adaptive ways of managing emotions.

Background An increasing number of undergraduate positive psychology courses offer students a holistic view of the broader discipline of psychology. Even short-term participation in positive psychology activities as part of a taught course may improve psychological well-being and lower stress. However, there is a dearth of qualitative evidence on how students experience this learning process. Objective This study aimed to explore UAE-based undergraduate students’ reflections on their experiences of an elective positive psychology course and their participation in various positive psychology interventions (PPIs). Method This qualitative study explored 21 UAE-based undergraduate students’ reflections on taking a semester-long positive psychology course, in which they participated in PPIs. The rich data from semi-structured interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Three main themes emerged, namely rethinking positive psychology, changes in perspective on happiness and search for positivity, and enhanced relationships. Conclusion and Teaching Implications The study suggests that positive psychology may reach past the time and space of the taught course and have at least a short-term positive impact on students' mental and social lives. Findings from this study imply the potential of positive psychology in higher education and point towards further integration of such courses in undergraduate programs in the UAE and beyond.