The Relationship between Psychological Distress, Coping Strategies and Emotion Dysregulation among Novice and Experienced Therapists

Abstract

This research investigated the relationship between psychological distress, coping strategies, and emotion dysregulation, comparing novice and experienced therapists. Psychotherapists are susceptible to negative psychological outcomes (Figley, 2002), which are influenced by interconnected elements, like the factors examined in this research. A quantitative survey research design utilizing purposive and snowball sampling was employed. Responses were collected from 100 participants, including novice therapists (Nn=50) and experienced therapists (En=50) (M= 29.16, SD= 5.74). Analysis revealed that psychological distress showed significant moderate positive correlation with avoidant coping and emotion dysregulation; and significant weak positive correlation with problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Emotion-focused coping and emotion dysregulation had a significant weak positive correlation. Moreover, novice therapists reported significantly more psychological distress and emotion dysregulation as compared to experienced therapists. No group differences were found in coping strategies. The research recommends longitudinal design to examine how coping, distress, and emotion dysregulation change with therapists’ experience.