We feel you: affect-regulation strategy in Indonesian legal-entity state university lecturers

Despite the expansion of Indonesia’s leading public campuses into legal-entity state universities (Perguruan Tinggi Negeri Berbadan Hukum: PTN-BH), the impact of greater autonomy on academic personnel remains uncertain. This study examines the utility of the affect-regulation framework for understanding the interplay between occupational stress and emotions among PTN-BH lecturers. Participants (N = 144 lecturers from 18 PTN-BH; 69.4% female; M_age = 38.74, SD_age = 7.86) completed questionnaires assessing daily work-related stress and natural affect-regulation tendencies, then were randomly assigned to learn about one of three affect-regulation strategies–expressive suppression, reappraisal, or mindful regulation–while viewing animated videos illustrating four common sources of workplace stress: interpersonal relationships, research, teaching, and career development. Those with a natural inclination toward mindfulness reported lower daily stress, less tendency to suppress emotions, and lower negative affect. However, they did not necessarily favor reappraisal or report increased positive affect. Stress levels varied by domain, but mindful regulation consistently reduced stress and emotional arousal across all domains. Reappraisal was particularly effective for less emotionally charged stressors, attenuating the adverse effects of expressive suppression. These findings underscore the importance of integrating coping strategies with emotion-regulation approaches in highly competitive educational institutions.