Emotion regulation and mental health in college students during coronavirus pandemic lockdowns

Table 3 Theoretical frameworks for understanding emotion regulation and mental health during crisis

Theoretical framework	Core tenet	Application to pandemic findings	Ref.
Process model of emotion regulation (Gross)	ER unfolds over time via situation selection, modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation	Lockdowns limited situation selection/modification, increasing burden on cognitive change (reappraisal) which many found difficult, leading to maladaptive response modulation (e.g., binge eating)	Gross[5]
Transdiagnostic/RDoC approach	Shared underlying mechanisms (like ER deficits) cut across traditional diagnostic categories	Explains high comorbidity (r approximately 0.85-0.96) of depression, anxiety, and stress; points to interventions targeting shared processes (e.g., intolerance of uncertainty)	Woon et al[33]; Keshavan et al[34]
Allostatic load/chronic stress model	Chronic stress leads to wear-and-tear on physiological systems (neuroendocrine, immune), impairing brain function and mental health	Lockdowns were a chronic stressor; allostatic load links pandemic stress to long-term mental and physical health risks	McEwen[31]; Guidi et al[32]
Behavioral models (e.g., BA for depression)	Depression is maintained by a cycle of avoidance, reduced activity, and loss of positive reinforcement	Loss of campus activities and routines depleted positive reinforcement; protective factors like recreational activities worked via behavioral activation	Heumann et al[35]
Social baseline theory	The human brain expects proximity to social resources; distancing taxes our neural and metabolic resources for regulation	Social isolation forced individuals to “go it alone” neurologically, depleting resources for ER and increasing distress	Coan and Sbarra[36]; Eisenberger[37]

ER: Emotion regulation; RDoC: Research Domain Criteria; BA: Behavioral activation.