Emotion regulation resource profiles among employees: mental health and work outcomes

Workplace stress is closely related to employes' mental health and work functioning, but most research has examined emotional labor, emotion regulation difficulties, and psychological resources as separate variables. This study addressed this limitation by using a person-centered approach to identify how emotion regulation burdens and resources are configured within employees and how these configurations relate to mental health and work outcomes. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with 1,552 Chinese employees who attended workplace mental health and emotion management seminars. Latent profile analysis was performed using six indicators: surface acting, deep acting, difficulties in emotion regulation, resilience, self-efficacy, and optimism. Profile differences in depression, insomnia, psychological well-being, work engagement, and innovative work behavior were assessed, and demographic correlates of profile membership were examined using multinomial logistic regression. Four profiles were identified: high-risk dysregulated, vulnerable low-resource, normative moderate, and high-resource adaptive. The profiles showed a clear resource-risk gradient. Employees in the high-risk dysregulated profile reported the highest depression and insomnia and the lowest positive work outcomes, whereas those in the high-resource adaptive profile showed the most favorable pattern. Gender, education, and managerial position were significant correlates of profile membership. The study contributes by showing that workplace emotion regulation risk is not captured by single indicators alone, but by meaningful configurations of demands, difficulties, and resources. The findings may inform workplace mental health risk identification, targeted emotion regulation training, and resource-building interventions.