The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation in the Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Academic Stress Among Female Students

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Academic stress is a major threat to the mental health and performance of university students, and academic self-efficacy is recognized as a protective factor against it; however, the conditions determining the strength of this relationship have been less explored. This study aimed to investigate the moderating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between academic self-efficacy and academic stress among female students. Method: This was a descriptive-correlational (cross-sectional) study. The statistical population consisted of 2,863 female students at the Islamic Azad University, Ilam Branch, during the 2024–2025 academic year; 340 students were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Morgan-Jinks Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, the Garnefski Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Zajacova Perceived Academic Stress Scale. Analysis was performed using Pearson correlation coefficients and moderated hierarchical regression in SPSS software (version 24). Findings: Academic self-efficacy (r = -0.54) and emotion regulation (r = -0.47) showed significant negative relationships with academic stress (p < 0.01). The interaction effect between self-efficacy and emotion regulation was significant (β = -0.34, p < 0.001) and explained additional variance beyond the main effects. Simple slope analysis revealed that the negative relationship between self-efficacy and academic stress is stronger at high levels of emotional self-regulation than at low levels. Conclusion: The protective effect of self-efficacy against academic stress depends largely on the student's capacity for emotional regulation; therefore, university counseling programs should integrate the strengthening of self-efficacy beliefs with emotional regulation skills training.