Pathways Predicting Depressive Symptoms in Girls in Different Pubertal Stages: The Role of Emotional Regulation Strategies

Emotional Regulation is the cognitive process associated with monitoring, evaluation and altering one's emotional responses leading to successful functioning. Gross (2001) has proposed the process model of emotional regulation that emphasizes the role of two strategies of emotional regulation in dealing with stressful situations namely, Cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. The kind of emotional regulation strategy used through the stressful phase of pubertal change, affects the development of depressive symptoms. Various studies have shown that girls are more prone to developing depressive symptoms during the different pubertal stages, as compared to boys. This study was thus an attempt to investigate the role of emotional regulation strategies in predicting depressive symptoms in Girls. Data was collected on 130 girls (12–15 years). The pubertal status of girls was assessed using Puberty Development Scale (Petersen, Crockett, Richards & Boxers, 1988). Emotional Regulation and Depressive Symptoms were measured using Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003) and CES-D Scale (Radloff, 1977) respectively. The data was analyzed using different correlational techniques. The results revealed that both cognitive emotional regulation strategies are significant correlates of depressive symptoms in girls in various pubertal stages. The obtained results have been elucidated.