Family and Social Ties as Protective Factors for Effective Emotion Regulation. A Cross-sectional study of Salvadoran Children and Adults.

Previous studies have explored emotional regulation’s (ER) important role in well-being. Discussing the internal and external factors that influence the effective development of strategies and responses. In order to address the cultural gap in the literature, this study aimed to explore protective factors that promote effective ER, focusing on the importance of familial and social ties in a Latin American population sample. This cross-sectional study was composed of 112 Salvadoran children and 90 Salvadoran adults. We tested the following through an online questionnaire, emotional regulation (ERQ & DERS), parental availability (LEAPS), and social ties (MSPSS). Findings showed that children and adults who perceived social and familial support reported better emotional regulation, but comparatively, adults reported less dysregulation. This supports the conclusion that social and familial support serve as protective factors for well-being, emphasizing the primary role of maternal warmth in effective emotional regulation. This study’s main limitations were methodological restraints and sample size. Nevertheless, our findings provide an insight on El Salvador's cultural background and factors that will aid in the understanding of protective factors necessary to enrich people's well-being, and serve as a foundation for future research in other Latin American samples.