# Trait emotion regulation predicts momentary self-esteem level and variability in adolescents’ daily lives

## TL;DR

This study finds that how adolescents regulate emotions affects their self-esteem levels and stability, with suppression linked to lower and more variable self-esteem.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific emotion regulation strategies associated with self-esteem level and variability in adolescents using experience sampling data.

## Key findings

- Adolescents using reappraisal, reflection, and social sharing had higher momentary self-esteem levels.
- Expressive suppression was linked to lower self-esteem levels and greater variability.
- Emotion regulation strategies significantly influence self-esteem dynamics during adolescence.

## Abstract

Level and variability are two key aspects of momentary self-esteem that are associated with mental health from early adolescence onwards, but little is known about their determinants. The current study examines how the trait-level use of four emotion regulation strategies—reappraisal, reflection, expressive suppression, social sharing—is associated with the level and variability of momentary self-esteem in the developmentally critical period of adolescence. Using mixed-effects location scale models, we analyzed experience sampling data from 408 adolescents (14–22 years, 81.62% girls) who reported their momentary self-esteem up to 35 times across one week. Two findings stand out: first, adolescents who tended to engage more in reappraisal, reflection, and social sharing to regulate their emotions experienced higher momentary self-esteem levels, whereas those who tended to engage more in expressive suppression experienced lower levels. Second, the tendency to use expressive suppression was consistently linked to more variability in momentary self-esteem. We discuss the contribution of emotion regulation strategies to levels of momentary self-esteem in adolescence and highlight the need for further research into the mechanisms underlying its variability.

Analyzing experience sampling data from 408 adolescents, this study shows that the emotion regulation strategies reappraisal, reflection, social sharing, and expressive suppression are differentially related to momentary self-esteem level and variability.