Existential Concerns, Emotional Regulation and Meaning in Life among Young Adults

Abstract

The present study examined the relationships among existential concerns, emotional regulation and meaning in life among young adults. A quantitative, cross-sectional and correlational research design was used. The sample consisted of 250 young adults (121 males and 129 females) aged 18-25 years, selected through purposive sampling from colleges, universities and the local community in Lahore. Data were collected using the Existential Concerns Questionnaire (ECQ), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ). Data were analyzed using SPSS. The findings indicated significant relationships among existential concerns, emotional regulation and meaning in life. Existential concerns were significantly negatively associated with the presence of meaning in life, indicating that greater existential concerns were related to a weaker sense of meaning. Cognitive reappraisal was significantly positively associated with meaning in life, suggesting that the use of adaptive emotion regulation was related to greater meaning in life. Contrary to the proposed hypothesis, expressive suppression showed a significant positive association with meaning in life. Overall, the findings suggest that existential concerns and emotional regulation are important factors associated with meaning in life during young adulthood. The unexpected positive relationship between expressive suppression and meaning in life may reflect the influence of cultural context on emotional expression and regulation.