Test anxiety and emotion regulation in university students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21615/cesp.7760Keywords:
Test anxiety, emotion regulation, university students, academic stages, cognitive reappraisal, expressive supressionAbstract
Test Anxiety (TA) is characterized by a set of phenomenological, physiological, and behavioral responses associated with concerns about the potential negative consequences of an evaluative situation. Elevated levels of TA are negatively associated with performance on various academic measures, self-esteem, perceived difficulty with exams, high levels of neuroticism, and deficits in emotional regulation (ER), affecting between 10% and 40% of students. The present study aimed to evaluate TA and ER in 347 students, aged between 18 and 63 years (M = 27.18; SD = 8.81), across different stages of their Psychology degree program. The results revealed that cognitive reappraisal, which involves reinterpreting situations to alter emotional responses, is negatively associated with TA, whereas expressive suppression, which involves inhibiting emotional responses, is positively associated with TA. Students in advanced stages of the program (Professional Training Cycle) exhibited lower levels of TA compared to those in early and intermediate stages (Common Basic Cycle – UBA XXI and General Training Cycle). The interaction between academic level and ER strategies did not show a significant effect on TA. These findings underscore the importance of ER, as well as exposure and practice in evaluative situations, for managing TA.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Leandro Crisólogo Gimeno, Felipe Alejandro Cultraro, Nicolás Alejandro Vizioli
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