A Cross-Sectional Study of the Development of Emotion Regulation in Middle and Older Age: Age, Physical Function, Emotional Regulation, and Mental Health.

Older adults inevitably experience physical decline while generally maintaining psychological well-being. One possible explanation for this seemingly paradoxical situation is increasing motivation and competence to regulate emotional states. The present study investigated whether the development of emotion regulation in middle and old age counterbalances the effect of physical decline on mental health. The sample consisted of 1,047 community-dwelling older adults (age 55 to 105 years old). Structural equation modeling showed that age-related decline in physical function suppressed emotion regulation. However, after controlling for physical function, emotion regulation was positively related with age and mental health. The findings support the hypothesis that there are age-related advantages of emotion regulation for older persons to maintain mental health, although their physical decline has a negative impact on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]