Afectividad, Regulación Emocional, Estrés y Salud Mental en adolescentes del Ecuador en tiempos de pandemia

Theoretical framework. Adolescence is a crucial stage in human development, the product of biopsychosocial changes, that will impact mental health in the future. The objective is identifying the relationship between affectivity, emotional regulation difficulties and stress on mental health in high school adolescents sample in Ecuador. Method.  Descriptive, correlational, comparative study by gender and cross-sectional with Positive and Negative Affect, Difficulties in Emotional Regulation, Goldberg General Health and Perceived Stress tests. Participants. There were 1,154 young adolescents from 21 cities in Ecuador. (67.7% are women and the remaining 32.3% are men). For those who are between the ages of 14 to 19 years old (AVG= 15.69 years old; SD =1.06).   Results. There are moderately elevated stress levels, somatization, anxiety, insomnia and social dysfunction. There are differences (p< .05) by gender in emotional dysregulation difficulties, stress and somatization, with greater presence in women than men. The relationship of negative affect, emotional regulation difficulties and stress with mental health problems is confirmed.  Conclusion.  Emotions and stress impact inside the current pandemic context is significant on young adolescent’s mental health.