REDUCING ANXIETY IN EGYPTIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS THROUGH EMOTION REGULATION INTERVENTIONS DURING COVID-19

Anxiety has emerged as a major mental health concern among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotion Regulation (ER) is a vital process in managing anxiety and stress, yet its application as a structured training intervention in the Middle East and North Africa region remains underexplored.This study aimed to (1) assess the levels of anxiety and difficulties in emotion regulation among university students in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) examine the effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Training (ERT) in reducing anxiety among this population.The study comprised two parts. Part I involved a survey of 863 students from the British University in Egypt, who completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) to assess anxiety levels and emotion regulation challenges. Part II was a randomized controlled trial with 200 volunteer students randomly assigned to either an intervention group, which received an ERT program based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), or a control group. The ERT program spanned eight weekly 90-minute sessions, covering mindfulness, ER techniques, and problem-solving skills.: In Part I, 39.9% of participants reported severe anxiety with a mean BAI score of 22.27 (SD = 13.6), while the mean DERS score was 75.1 (SD = 23.24). In Part II, students in the intervention group showed a significantly greater reduction in anxiety and emotion regulation difficulties compared to the control group. The effect sizes for anxiety and DERS improvements were d = 0.53 and d = 0.85 respectively (p < 0.001).The findings suggest that Emotion Regulation Training can significantly reduce anxiety levels and improve emotion regulation skills among university students in Egypt. Integrating such training into university wellness programs is recommended to support student mental health, particularly during times of crisis