Gender Differences in Emotion Regulation Among Islamic Integrated Junior High School Students

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by intense emotional changes, making emotion regulation crucial for managing social and academic pressures. Gender differences are believed to influence the use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression strategies. Objective: This study aimed to examine gender differences in emotion regulation among students at SMP IT Al Ibrah Gresik. Method: A comparative quantitative design was employed with a total of 350 students. Forty students were involved in the instrument pilot test, while 310 students served as the main sample. Data were collected using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA) by Gullone and Taffe, adapted by Shanny et al. (2024), and modified according to the characteristics of the participants. Data analysis was conducted using the Mann–Whitney U test following normality and homogeneity tests. Results: Significant differences were found in overall emotion regulation (U = 7286, p < 0.001) and expressive suppression (p < 0.001), while cognitive reappraisal showed no significant difference (p = 0.082). Conclusion: Gender influences certain emotion regulation strategies in adolescents, particularly expressive suppression, highlighting the need for school-based emotional education and support programs that are sensitive to gender differences.