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Cognitive Emotional Regulation Strategies: Potential Mediators in the Relationship Between Mindfulness, Emotional Exhaustion, and Satisfaction?

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Abstract

The main aim of the present study was to examine the mediation effects of the cognitive emotional regulation strategies, emotional distancing, and resignation, on the association between mindfulness, emotional exhaustion and study satisfaction. Data were collected from a sample of student teachers from different universities in Germany (n = 236) and a sample of beginning teachers who were assessed during the German induction phase (the Referendariat, n = 112). Path analysis models were used to examine the associations between mindfulness, cognitive regulation strategies, emotional exhaustion, and study satisfaction. The findings of the current study showed that student teachers reported a higher level of mindfulness, emotional distancing, and study satisfaction than beginning teachers. Despite these differences between the both samples, the results demonstrated that the associations between mindfulness, cognitive regulation strategies, emotional exhaustion, and study satisfaction were similar for student teachers and beginning teachers. Emotional distancing, as adaptive strategy, partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and emotional exhaustion, whereas resignation, as a maladaptive strategy, was not a significant mediator. Findings suggest that stress prevention programs that combine mindfulness exercises and cognitive restructuring techniques (e.g., adaptive strategies) may be promising intervention for student teachers’ as well as beginning teachers’ mental health and well-being.

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  1. Institute of Psychology, Department of Research Synthesis, Intervention and Evaluation, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Humboldtstr. 26, 07743, Jena, Germany

    Constance Karing & Andreas Beelmann

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CK designed and executed the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the paper. AB collaborated in the writing and editing of the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Constance Karing.

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All procedures performed in our study were approved by the institutional review board at the Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena and in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Participants gave informed consent through accessing the study online via a website link. The link was provided to participants who confirmed a wish to participate. All participants were given information about the study, researcher contact information, and a statement indicating that participation is voluntary and anonymous.

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Karing, C., Beelmann, A. Cognitive Emotional Regulation Strategies: Potential Mediators in the Relationship Between Mindfulness, Emotional Exhaustion, and Satisfaction?. Mindfulness 10, 459–468 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-0987-z

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