The cost of ‘being strong’: Exploring the relationship between emotional suppression and wellbeing.
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Emotional suppression is a common emotion regulation strategy, including among individuals with chronic health conditions and within certain cultural or gendered norms. Although widely used as an emotional regulation strategy, research has consistently linked suppression to poorer wellbeing outcomes. In people with chronic health conditions in particular, evidence has strongly indicated that emotional suppression has detrimental effects on factors including physical health and disease progression. This study aimed to examine the relationship between emotional suppression and wellbeing, and to explore whether this relationship was moderated by the presence of a chronic health condition. A total of 64 participants completed measures of emotional suppression, wellbeing, and chronic health status. Correlational analyses revealed a significant negative association between emotional suppression and wellbeing. A multiple linear regression showed that emotional suppression significantly predicted lower wellbeing, and that the interaction between emotional suppression and chronic condition status was not statistically significant, though it trended in the expected direction. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence highlighting the emotional costs of suppression and may have implications for healthcare practices and societal norms surrounding emotional expression. Clinical implications of the findings include highlighting the need for healthcare providers to consider patients’ emotional regulation strategies when supporting individuals with chronic health conditions. The study’s limited sample size and lack of cultural diversity highlight the need for caution in generalising findings. Future research should explore whether the chronicity and severity of chronic health conditions influence any variance in emotional suppression and use more balanced group sizes.
Source: Journal of Happiness and Health
Institution: Newcastle University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7118892391