The relations between interpersonal self-support traits and emotion regulation strategies: A longitudinal study

• We examine the relationship between interpersonal traits and emotion regulation.
• Interpersonal independence predicted suppression and reappraisal.
• Interpersonal initiative predicted cognitive reappraisal.
• Cognitive reappraisal predicted interpersonal flexibility and interpersonal openness.
• The relationship between interpersonal traits and emotion regulation was not mutual.

Although several cross-sectional surveys have shown that certain traits such as extraversion and neuroticism are related to emotion regulation, few studies have explored the nature of this relationship. The present study tried to explore the longitudinal relation between traits and emotion regulation strategies. The Interpersonal Self-Support Scale for Middle School Students (ISSS-MSS) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) were administrated to 374 middle school students two times across a 6-month interval. A path analysis via structural equation modeling of the five interpersonal self-support traits and the two emotion regulation strategies was tested. The results showed that interpersonal independence predicted expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal, and that interpersonal initiative also predicted reappraisal, while reappraisal predicted interpersonal flexibility and interpersonal openness 6 month later. These results support the hypotheses that some personality traits influence certain emotion regulation strategies, while other traits may be influenced by specific emotion regulation strategies.