Emotion regulation strategies and their associations with social and emotional loneliness: A network approach

This study examined how EL and SL relate to cognitive and behavioural emotion regulation strategies, using a network analysis method to explore their affective and regulatory profiles. A cross-sectional sample of 1,215 Polish university students (76.8% female, Mage = 21.64) completed the six-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and the Loneliness-Related Emotion Regulation Scale.

Results suggest that EL was strongly associated with maladaptive strategies, including rumination and self-blame, indicating a self-focused and distress-amplifying pattern. In contrast, SL was linked to behavioural withdrawal and reluctance to seek social support, reflecting a disengagement-oriented regulatory profile. Network analysis revealed that EL occupied a more central position than SL, suggesting greater interconnectedness with emotion regulation processes.