Exploring the mediating role of emotion regulation on the relationship between teachers' resilience and their perceived stress

According to empirical evidence, there are associations between resilience and stress, resilience and emotion regulation, and emotion regulation and stress. However, studies underlying the mechanisms between resilience and stress among teachers are sparse. This study examines the associations between these variables and investigates which emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationship between resilience and perceived stress among k-12 school teachers. In a sample of 1390 school and high school teachers, with an average of 14.84 years (SD = 10.58) of work experience, resilience was positively correlated with cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression and negatively with perceived stress. Cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression negatively correlated with perceived stress. Results of the multiple mediation model indicated that only expressive suppression mediated the association between participants' resilience and their perceived stress level. Additionally, gender and teaching status represented significant covariates of the mediation model. These results highlight the importance of emotion regulation in understanding how resilience relates to perceived stress among k-12 school teachers.