The Impact Of Social Support And Emotion Regulation On The Risky Behaviors In Child And Adolescence

Background:This study was conducted to（1）evaluate the reliability,validity,and measurement invariance of the Chinese version of Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents（ERQ-CA）in the sample of Chinese adolescents;and to（2）explore the mechanism of moderator effects of two different strategies of emotional regulation between social support and risk behavior,then get a picture of the mediator effects of self-esteem in this moderating model.Two models were constructed:（1）cognitive reappraisal was conducted to be moderator,and self-esteem was mediator between social support and risk behavior;（2）emotional suppression was conducted to be moderator,and self-esteem was mediator between social support and risk behavior.Method:（1）In the study testing the reliability and validity of the ERQ-CA,1242students,aged from 13 to 16,finished the ERQ-CA.Cronbach’sαand test-retest reliability were conducted to test the reliability of the measurement.Construct validity and confirmatory factor analysis were utilized to examine the validity of the measurement.Moreover,the multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the measurement equivalence across gender,including configural invariance,weak invariance,strong invariance,and strict invariance.As far as strict invariance was achieved,latent mean difference between adolescent males and adolescent females could be examined.（2）In the study of influencing mechanism between social support and teenager risk behavior,1242students,aged from 13 to 16,finished the Risky Behaviors Questionnaire-Adolescents（RBQ-A）,the Social Support Scale for Adolescent（SSSA）,the Chinese version of Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents（ERQ-CA）,the Self-Esteem Scale（SES）.Descriptive statistics,correlation analysis,and regression analysis,in which emotional regulation was moderator and risk behavior was mediator between social support and risk behavior were conducted.Result:（1）The Cronbach’sαcoefficients of two subscales of the ERQ-CA were 0.674、0.771,repectively,and the test-retest reliability coefficients were 0.710、0.723,respectively.The construct validity between ERQ-CA and cognitive reappraisal was 0.654.The construct validity between ERQ-CA and emotional suppression was 0.859.And the construct validity between the two subscales was 0.362.The correlation coefficients between the revised Cognitive Reappraisal subscale and its items were from 0.649 to 0.726,and all p values were less than 0.01;The correlation coefficients between the revised Emotional Suppression subscale and its items were from 0.599 to 0.760,and all p values were less than 0.01.（2）The fit indexes of scale indicated an adequate fit:x²/df<3,CFI=0.942、TLI=0.923、RMSEA=0.042、SRMR=0.039.（3）Results of multi-group confirmatory factor analyses indicated configural invariance,weak invariance,and strong invariance,as well as a partial strict invariance.（4）Social support was found to be positively correlated with self-esteem,and cognitive reappraisal,as well as emotional suppression,but negatively correlated with risk behavior.Risk behavior was found to be positively correlated with social support,self-esteem,and cognitive reappraisal.Self-esteem was positively correlated with cognitive reappraisal,but negatively correlated with emotional regulation.（5）The results demonstrated significant moderator effects between social support and risk behavior（c₁=-0.578,t=7.957,P<0.001）,cognitive reappraisal and risk behavior（c₂=-0.456,t=-3.796,P<0.001）,and the interaction term of cognitive reappraisal and risk behavior and risk behavior（c₃=0.009,t=2.905,P<0.01）;Results also indicated significant mediator effects between social support and self-esteem（a₁=-0.176,t=-4.035,P<0.001）,the interaction term of social support and cognitive reappraisal and self-esteem（a₃=0.008,t=2.160,P<0.001）,self-esteem and risk behavior（b₁=1.281,t=6.253,P<0.001）,and the interaction term of cognitive reappraisal and self-esteem and risk behavior（b₂=-0.035,t=-3.830,P<0.001）.（6）The results demonstrated significant moderator effects between social support and risk behavior（c₁=-0.115,t=0.576,P<0.001）,emotional suppression and risk behavior（c₂=0.576,t=1.510,P<0.001）,and the interaction term of emotional suppression and social support and risk behavior（c₃=0.009,t=2.905,P<0.01）.It has been also found no significant mediator effects between social support and self-esteem（a₁=0.048,t=1.779,P>0.05）,the iteration term of social support and emotional suppression and self-esteem（a₃=-0.001,t=-0.916,P>0.05）,and self-esteem and risk behavior（b₁=0.291,t=1.522,P>0.05）,as well as the emotional suppression and self-esteem and risk behavior（b₂=0.007,t=1.175,P>0.05）.Conclusion:（1）The Chinese version of the ERQ-CA appears to be a reliable and valid measure among Chinese early adolescents.（2）The ERQ-CA is Measurement equivalent across gender.（3）Results of latent mean difference analyses is different with apparent mean indicating that the mean difference can not only explained by latent mean difference.（4）Since not all measurement invariance are full achieved,it is reasonable to pay more attention to the explanation of the results of differences between adolescents across gender.（5）Social support appears to be positively correlated with self-esteem,cognitive reappraisal,and emotional suppression,but nagetively correlated with risk behavior.Risk behavior appears to be nagetively correlated with social support,self-esteem,and cognitive reappraisal.Self-esteem is positively correlated with cognitive reappraisal,but negatively correlated with emotional suppression.（6）Cognitive reappraisal can positively predict the influence of risk behavior.Emotional suppression nagetively predicts the influence of social support’s influence to risk behavior.（7）Teenagers self-esteem plays a partially mediation among social support,cognitive reappraisal and risk behavior.Self-esteem plays a moderated mediation among social support,cognitive reappraisal and risk behavior.