Emotion regulation and mental health among professionals of long-term care institutions for older adults: The mediating role of work engagement

Abstract

BackgroundThis study examined whether work engagement mediated the association between emotion regulation and mental health of professionals working in long-term care institutions for older adults in Brazil.Participants and procedureA cross-sectional study with a total of 104 professionals working in 13 long-term care facilities for the elderly in Brazil was conducted. Emotion regulation (expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal), work engagement (vigor, dedication, and absorption), and mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress) were measured using self-report scales. Multiple me-diation models were used to test the mediating role of engagement.ResultsExpressive suppression was associated with more vigor, which in turn was associated with less anxiety and stress; cognitive reappraisal was associated with more vigor, which in turn was associated with less anxiety and stress. No indirect effects were found for depression.ConclusionsExpressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal strategies to regulate emotions seem to be associated with more vigor in terms of resilience and persistence to deal with work demands in these professionals. These results seem to suggest that workers who are more capable of regulating their emotions (using both expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal in a flexible way according to work demands) are more likely to be resilient, invest in their profession, and be persistent in the face of difficulties. This, in turn, contributes to protecting them from experiencing anxiety and stress.

Emotion regulation and parental burnout: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

“…No significant results were found for expressive suppression, but future studies should further explore this topic. As in some contexts, expressive suppression may be beneficial (e.g., Wobeto et al, 2023), the pattern of positive associations found between expressive suppression and PB may be explained by their social costs/consequences in terms of altering dynamics between couples (or other significant figures).…”

“…Overall, expressive suppression is likely to result in negative outcomes such as poor well-being, more psychopathology, and poor interpersonal relationship outcomes (McRae & Gross, 2020). However, in some contexts (e.g., healthcare professionals, professionals working in long-term care institutions for older adults, and rescue medical staff), expressive suppression can be linked to more positive outcomes, such as less job burnout, higher job engagement, and better mental health (e.g., Doulougeri et al, 2016; Gan et al, 2014; Wobeto et al, 2023).…”

<em>And Justice for All.</em> Organizational Justice – a Coherent Path to Organizational Sustainability

“…This can be of importance for a person's efficiency, optimal stress management, and, as a result, low absenteeism due to illness. To date, it has been established that work engagement mediated the association between emotion regulation and mental health of professionals working in long-term care institutions for older adults [48]. In longitudinal studies, work engagement predicted job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, but also mental health problems.…”

Emotion Regulation in Dementia Caregiving: The Role of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Attachment Orientation

“…As suggested for some studies in different contexts of caregiving, expressive suppression may be beneficial for maintaining the mental health of formal caregivers. 40 The authors suggested that for some formal caregivers, venting emotions could lead to resentment and negative affect or could prevent them from performing caregiving tasks. It is possible that the same happened with informal caregivers.…”