Relación entre la regulación emocional y la intensidad subjetiva de la reacción en estudiantes de Psicología Clínica de la Universidad Católica de Cuenca.

Abstract

Intending to scientifically describing psychoemotional dynamics relevant to the quality of life of the Ecuadorian population, this study analyzed the relationship between emotional regulation and the subjective intensity of reactions among Clinical Psychology students at the Catholic University of Cuenca. An observational, cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach and a descriptive-relational scope was employed. The sample consisted of 87 students selected using non-probability convenience sampling. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), an emotional self-perception survey, and a sociodemographic questionnaire designed ad hoc were administered. The results showed a predominance of cognitive reappraisal (M = 30.06; SD = 5.52) over expressive suppression (M = 15.49; SD = 5.43). Regarding emotional recognition, joy and disgust showed high levels of agreement, whereas anger showed the lowest level. Correlation analysis using Spearman's coefficient revealed no statistically significant relationship between emotional regulation strategies and the subjective intensity of the reactions, suggesting that the way participants regulated their emotions did not influence the intensity with which they experienced the stimuli (cognitive reappraisal: ρ = −.086, p = .430; expressive suppression: ρ = .138, p = .201), which led to the acceptance of the null hypothesis. These findings provide initial empirical evidence regarding emotional functioning in emerging adults and establish a foundation for the design and improvement of emotional assessment tools.