Effects of gender and age on cognitive emotional regulation

This study aimed to assess the impact of both gender and age on cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERS). Participants (N = 1585) divided into four age groups (young adults, middle-aged adults, older adults and oldest-old adults) completed the short version of the Cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire. Results indicated (1) a gender effect on CERS with higher rumination and catastrophizing scores associated to lower acceptance scores for women, and (2) different utilization of emotion regulation strategies according to age. The youngest group reported higher scores for rumination and self-blame and a lower score for positive refocusing compared to the three other age groups, while the oldest-old reported higher scores for planning but lower scores for self-blame and positive reappraisal compared to the three other age groups. Given the importance of CERS on mental health, future longitudinal studies are needed to examine further the life-span trajectories of CERS on both men and women.