Cognitive regulation of emotions and attitude towards health in adolescence

Cognitive regulation of emotions and attitude towards health are investigated as internal psychological mechanisms of teenagers’ adaptation to changes in their own personality and new demands of the social environment. We assume that the peculiarities of emotional regulation are a subjective factor in psychological health, because they determine adaptive abilities and resistance to stressful situations and contribute to the fulfillment of age tasks by the adolescent. The emotional development of adolescents is compared to indicators of somatic health and a subjective attitude towards it, as the most important quality of life indicators. The results of the study’s first stage, where a sample of 30 participants 15-16 years old shows the specifics of using strategies for the regulation of emotions and certain aspects of attitude towards health are presented. In general, adolescents are dominated by effective regulation strategies though among the destructive ones the most prominent are the strategies of accusing oneself for what has happened and an obsessive return to thoughts about an event. Effective strategies of emotional regulation correlate with somatic health: participants who are inclined to plan and search for a positive meaning in the occurred event have higher health indicators and agree that health does not limit them in different areas of life (study, communication with friends, hobby and so forth). Adolescents with a prominent emotional relationship to health are more likely to reduce the significance of the event by comparing it with other situations, and participants with a prominent interest in health issues more often demonstrate the ability to find a positive meaning in the event. These relationships have demonstrated the importance of adaptive abilities in the development of a teenager’s healthy personality. In general, the results meet the public demand for identifying the indicators of the psychological health of the adolescent population in the country. Moreover, the results provide arguments in favor of the fact that the cognitive regulation of emotions individual style can serve as an indicator of psychological well-being and the basis for psychological help to children.