Self-Efficacy, Cognitive Reappraisal, Expressive Suppression and Social Support Predict Psychological Well-Being Among Adults in Malaysia

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-968-1_12How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Self-Efficacy; Cognitive Reappraisal; Expressive Suppression; Social Support; Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

This study investigates the extent to which self-efficacy (SE), cognitive reappraisal (CR), expressive suppression (ES), and social support (SS) predict psychological well-being (PWB) among Malaysian young adults. A total of 331 participants aged 18–35 was recruited through purposive sampling and completed an online survey comprising the General Self-Efficacy Scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the 18-item Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale. Data were analysed using multiple linear regression. The results indicated that SE, CR, and SS were significant positive predictors of PWB, whereas ES was negatively associated. SE was the most influential predictor, suggesting that individuals with higher SE demonstrated greater resilience, persistence, and emotional stability. CR positively predicted PWB, indicating that reinterpreting stressful experiences supports adaptive emotional regulation. In contrast, ES negatively predicted PWB, reflecting that suppressing emotions may limit coping resources and reduce well-being. SS positively predicted PWB, emphasising the protective role of social networks within the Malaysian collectivist context. The sample was predominantly female (58.3%), Chinese (83.4%), single (74.3%), and comprised mainly students (90.3%), most of whom were in the private sector (71.9%). These findings align with the broaden-and-build theory, suggesting that personal and social resources enhance PWB by cultivating positive emotions and resilience. The study highlights the value of interventions that strengthen SE, promote adaptive emotion regulation strategies, and enhance social support systems to improve mental health outcomes. Future research should employ more diverse samples and examine how these predictors influence specific dimensions of psychological well-being.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Mun Kit Lee
AU  - Nurul Iman Abdul Jalil
AU  - Bao Xuan Hon
AU  - Synn Wynn Lam
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/28
TI  - Self-Efficacy, Cognitive Reappraisal, Expressive Suppression and Social Support Predict Psychological Well-Being Among Adults in Malaysia
BT  - Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Business, Accounting, Finance and Economics (BAFE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 135
EP  - 147
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-968-1_12
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-968-1_12
ID  - Lee2025
ER  -