Gender differences in emotional regulation capacity among the general population

ABSTRACT

Background: Emotional regulation plays crucial part in overall psychological well-being of an individual as it impacts how he responds to stimuli. Evidences from past suggest that there are differences in emotional regulation strategies based on gender in patients suffering from different illnesses. However there is limited literature on emotional regulation strategies in general population. Material and methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted at a tertiary care centre on 60 subjects comprised of both genders, with no psychiatric or physical co-morbidity at present or in past. Emotional regulation among both genders was studied using Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS). Results: There was no significant difference in the socio-demographics of male and female participant groups. Among both gender, males had significantly higher difficulties in acceptance of emotions (P=0.035) and impulse dyscontrol (P=0.014) when compared to women. However, women had significantly lesser emotional clarity compared to men (P=0.003). Conclusion: These differences in emotional regulation strategies may be responsible for differences in clinical presentation and prevalence of various psychiatric illnesses among the gender group. Knowledge about emotional regulation strategies among both genders would help initiate gender specific interventions to avoid maladaptive behaviors and to prevent the onset or progression of illness.