Trajectories of Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression as Predictors and Outcomes of Adolescent Risk Behaviors: Evidence from a Ghanaian Longitudinal Study

Abstract

This longitudinal study examined the developmental trajectories of emotion regulation strategies cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression and their predictive effects on adolescent risk behaviors over a 24-month period. The sample comprised 900 adolescents from both public and private schools in Ghana, assessed at three time points: baseline (T1), 12 months (T2), and 24 months (T3). Findings revealed that cognitive reappraisal, an adaptive strategy involving reframing emotional experiences, increased significantly over time (T1: M = 3.45; T2: M = 3.61; T3: M = 3.72), while expressive suppression, a maladaptive strategy characterized by inhibiting emotional expression, decreased (T1: M = 2.89; T2: M = 2.76; T3: M = 2.63). Longitudinal path analyses showed that higher cognitive reappraisal at T1 and T2 predicted reduced engagement in risk behaviors such as substance use, aggression, and risky sexual activity across subsequent time points (T1 to T2: ? = -0.24, p = 0.004; T2 to T3: ? = -0.27, p = 0.002). Conversely, greater expressive suppression predicted increased risk behaviors over time (T1 to T2: ? = 0.31, p = 0.001; T2 to T3: ? = 0.29, p = 0.003). Cross-lagged panel analysis further demonstrated bidirectional influences: effective emotion regulation at earlier time points predicted fewer risk behaviors later, while engagement in risk behaviors predicted subsequent declines in emotion regulation abilities (T1 to T2: ? = 0.15, p = 0.031; T2 to T3: ? = 0.18, p < 0.05). These results underscore the dynamic interplay between emotion regulation and adolescent risk behavior, highlighting cognitive reappraisal’s protective role and the risks associated with expressive suppression. The findings suggest that interventions fostering adaptive emotion regulation skills may be critical for reducing risk behaviors and promoting healthier adolescent development.