Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Rumination as Serial Mediators in the Relationship Between Psychological Resilience and Loneliness

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the serial mediating roles of emotion regulation difficulties and rumination in the relationship between psychological resilience and loneliness among university students. Method: A total of 425 university students aged 18–29 years (74.4% women) voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected using the Brief Resilience Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale–Short Form, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Short Form, and the Ruminative Response Scale–Short Form. Relationships among the variables were examined using Pearson correlation analyses, and the serial mediation model (Model 6) was tested using the PROCESS macro (v4.2) with a bootstrapping procedure. Results: Psychological resilience negatively predicted emotion regulation difficulties and rumination, whereas emotion regulation difficulties and rumination positively predicted loneliness. Mediation analyses controlling for gender indicated that emotion regulation difficulties and rumination each independently mediated the relationship between psychological resilience and loneliness. The serial mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties and rumination in this relationship was also statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the relationship between psychological resilience and loneliness may be explained by specific and serial indirect pathways through emotion regulation difficulties and rumination.