Xu Jie, Xu Ying
Department of College English Teaching and Researching, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar, 161006, China.
School of Humanity, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150001, China.
BMC Psychol. 2025 Aug 3;13(1):858. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03236-4.
EFL learners often experience anxiety and emotional stress, which can hinder their academic persistence and well-being. Although previous studies have examined self-efficacy, language anxiety, and emotion regulation separately, their combined effect on psychological resilience remains underexplored. Guided by self-efficacy theory, which emphasizes the importance of individuals' belief in their ability to cope with challenges, and emotion regulation theory, which focuses on how emotional management facilitates psychological adaptation, this study proposes a serial mediation model in which self-efficacy enhances resilience by reducing language anxiety and improving emotion regulation.
This study used the self-efficacy scale, language anxiety scale, emotion regulation scale, and psychological resilience scale to collect 540 valid responses. Data were analyzed and processed with SPSS 26.0 software to examine the direct effect of self-efficacy on EFL learners' psychological resilience, along with the mediating functions of language anxiety and emotion regulation.
Self-efficacy was significantly associated with psychological resilience (β = 0.096, p < 0.001). Language anxiety mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and resilience (β = 0.122, 95% CI: [0.070, 0.185]). Emotion regulation also mediated this relationship (β = 0.067, 95% CI: [0.033, 0.106]). Both language anxiety and emotion regulation together had a serial mediating effect (β = 0.065, 95% CI: [0.038, 0.099]).
This study found that self-efficacy was positively associated with psychological resilience among EFL learners, with language anxiety and emotion regulation acting as sequential mediators. The findings offer theoretical support for understanding their psychological adaptation.
英语作为外语（EFL）学习者经常经历焦虑和情绪压力，这可能会阻碍他们的学业坚持和幸福感。尽管先前的研究分别考察了自我效能感、语言焦虑和情绪调节，但它们对心理韧性的综合影响仍未得到充分探索。本研究以自我效能感理论（强调个体相信自己应对挑战的能力的重要性）和情绪调节理论（关注情绪管理如何促进心理适应）为指导，提出了一个序列中介模型，其中自我效能感通过降低语言焦虑和改善情绪调节来增强心理韧性。
本研究使用自我效能感量表、语言焦虑量表、情绪调节量表和心理韧性量表收集了540份有效问卷。使用SPSS 26.0软件对数据进行分析和处理，以检验自我效能感对EFL学习者心理韧性的直接影响，以及语言焦虑和情绪调节的中介作用。
自我效能感与心理韧性显著相关（β = 0.096，p < 0.001）。语言焦虑在自我效能感与心理韧性之间起中介作用（β = 0.122，95%置信区间：[0.070，0.185]）。情绪调节也在这一关系中起中介作用（β = 0.067，95%置信区间：[0.033，0.106]）。语言焦虑和情绪调节共同具有序列中介效应（β = 0.065，95%置信区间：[0.038，0.099]）。
本研究发现，EFL学习者的自我效能感与心理韧性呈正相关，语言焦虑和情绪调节起序列中介作用。这些发现为理解他们的心理适应提供了理论支持。
