Adolescent non-supportive emotion socialization moderates the relation between distress and support seeking during the transition to college and COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

Determine if retrospectively-reported caregiver emotion socialization (ES) from adolescence moderates the relation of current distress (stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms) to caregiver emotional support seeking during the college transition.

PARTICIPANTS

Students (n = 520) at a public Midwestern university returning to in-person learning during the 2021-2022 academic year.

METHOD: Using a cross-sectional design and previously validated questionnaires, participants self-reported current distress, attachment to caregivers, and caregiver emotional support seeking, and retrospectively reported caregiver negative emotion socialization from adolescence.

RESULTS

Supportive ES did not moderate the relation between distress and support seeking, but did have a positive main effect on support seeking over and above attachment. Only at very high levels of non-supportive ES, stress was inversely related to support seeking. At moderate to low levels of non-supportive ES, anxiety was positively related to support seeking.

CONCLUSIONS

We provide suggestions to facilitate emotional support seeking while transitioning to college during particularly challenging times.