Emotion control, stress, and health

Abstract

This study examined the relationship of four types of emotional control, rehearsal (mental rumination), emotional inhibition, aggression control, and benign (impulse) control, to perceived stress as well as psychological and physical health complaints. It was hypothesised that rehearsal and emotional inhibition would be related to greater perceived stress as well as higher levels of health complaints whereas aggression control and benign control would be associated with lower perceived stress and fewer health complaints. Correlation as well as regression and structural equation analysis supported the hypotheses for rehearsal and benign control with respect to both stress and health complaints. However, emotional inhibition was negatively correlated with stress and unrelated to health complaints whereas aggression control was unrelated to either stress or health complaints. Comparisons across gender and race (Chinese. Malay, Indian) showed similar patterns across groups. The implications of these results for understanding the role of emotional control in the stress process are discussed.