Self-Control and Self-Efficacy for Affect Regulation as Moderators of the Negative Affect–Life Satisfaction Relationship

Trait negative affect has a unique inverse relationship with life satisfaction across the life span. Because lower life satisfaction predicts mortality and higher suicidality, ascertaining malleable psychological factors that attenuate the effects of negative affect on life satisfaction is particularly important. The authors tested the hypothesis that self-efficacy for ability to regulate one's negative emotions, and general self-control, would moderate the relationship between trait negative affect and life satisfaction. Among 191 college students, self-efficacy for ability to regulate anger moderated, but self-control did not moderate, the relationship between negative affect and life satisfaction. At high levels of self-efficacy, the relationship between negative affect and life satisfaction was nonsignificant. At mean and low levels of self-efficacy, negative affect was strongly and inversely related to life satisfaction. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.