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

BACKGROUNDThis study examined whether work engagement mediated the association between emotion regulation and mental health of professionals working in long-term care institu-tions 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 sup-pression and cognitive reappraisal), work engagement (vig-or, dedication, and absorption), and mental health (depres-sion, anxiety, and stress) were measured using self-report scales. Multiple mediation 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 strate-gies 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 regulat-ing 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 pro-fession, and be persistent in the face of difficulties. This, in turn, contributes to protecting them from experiencing anxiety and stress.