Adolescent non-supportive emotion socialization moderates the relation between distress and support seeking during the transition to college and COVID-19 pandemic

J Am Coll Health. 2025 Jun 17:1-12. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2025.2516602. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Determine if retrospectively-reported caregiver emotion socialization (ES) from adolescence moderates the relation of current distress (stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms) to caregiver emotional support seeking during the college transition.

PARTICIPANTS: Students (n = 520) at a public Midwestern university returning to in-person learning during the 2021-2022 academic year.

METHOD: Using a cross-sectional design and previously validated questionnaires, participants self-reported current distress, attachment to caregivers, and caregiver emotional support seeking, and retrospectively reported caregiver negative emotion socialization from adolescence.

RESULTS: Supportive ES did not moderate the relation between distress and support seeking, but did have a positive main effect on support seeking over and above attachment. Only at very high levels of non-supportive ES, stress was inversely related to support seeking. At moderate to low levels of non-supportive ES, anxiety was positively related to support seeking.

CONCLUSIONS: We provide suggestions to facilitate emotional support seeking while transitioning to college during particularly challenging times.

PMID:40527863 | DOI:10.1080/07448481.2025.2516602