Emotion Regulation and Depression Symptoms among Chinese Adolescents: The Sequential Mediation Effect of Social Anxiety and Loneliness

The present study aimed to examine the impact of emotion regulation on depression symptoms, with a particular focus on the mediating roles of social anxiety and loneliness among Chinese adolescents. A sample of 316 adolescents (Mage = 16.42, SD = 0.61; 54.11% boys) completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Social Anxiety Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire. The results revealed that expressive suppression not only directly predicted adolescent depression symptoms but also exerted an indirect effect through the sequential mediation of social anxiety and loneliness. In contrast, cognitive reappraisal was found to have a direct negative effect on depression symptoms, with no significant indirect pathways. These findings highlight the critical role of emotion regulation in adolescent mental health and suggest that reducing expressive suppression through interventions such as expressive writing or supportive-expressive therapy may help alleviate depression symptoms.