Vitality, Vital Intelligence, and Emotional Dysregulation in Students with Different Academic Profiles

Relevance and Background. Academic disciplines impose divergent cognitive and emotional demands that may shape students’ regulatory resources and vulnerability to stress, yet the interplay between emotional regulation, vitality, and resilience across humanities and STEM profiles remains poorly understood. Aim. This study investigates whether academic profile moderates the relationship between emotional dysregulation, vital intelligence, and resilience in university students. Methods. A sample of 182 third‑year students (psychology, N = 41; physics/mathematics, N = 69; natural sciences, N = 72) completed the Emotional Dysregulation Questionnaire (EDQ), the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Subjective Vitality Scales (state and dispositional), Vital Intelligence scales (actual and potential), and the Connor‑Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‑RISC). Spearman correlations were analysed separately by profile. Results. Results revealed starkly contrasting patterns. In psychology students, emotional dysregulation was positively associated with refocusing on planning and showed a paradoxical link: positive with actual vital intelligence but negative with potential vital intelligence; moreover, most CERQ strategies, including maladaptive ones, correlated positively with resilience. In physics students, by contrast, emotional dysregulation uniformly and negatively predicted state vitality, dispositional vitality, and resilience, with self‑blame emerging as the most stable correlate; critically, conventionally adaptive strategies (acceptance and positive reappraisal) negatively correlated with vitality in this group. Across both profiles, rumination consistently predicted higher actual but lower potential vital intelligence. Conclusion. We conclude that emotional dysregulation universally erodes the capacity to realise life potential, yet the cognitive pathways differ fundamentally by academic profile: a metacognitive, effort‑sustaining pattern in psychology students versus a directly depletive pattern in physics students. These profile‑specific dynamics necessitate tailored, discipline‑sensitive mental health interventions in higher education.

Витальность, витальный интеллект и эмоциональная дисрегуляция

 студентов с разным профилем обучения

А.П. Лобанов^a,3, Н.В. Дроздова^a, E.В. Забелина^b, А.Н. Певнева^c, М.В. Янучок^a

^a Белорусский государственный педагогический университет имени Максима Танка, Минск, Беларусь

^b Челябинский государственный университет, Челябинск, Россия

^c Гродненский государственный университет имени Янки Купалы

Резюме. Актуальность. Академические дисциплины предъявляют различные когнитивные и эмоциональные требования, которые могут формировать регуляторные ресурсы студентов и их уязвимость к стрессу, однако взаимосвязь между эмоциональной регуляцией, витальностью и устойчивостью у студентов гуманитарных и естественно-научных профилей остаётся недостаточно изученной. Цель: выявление взаимосвязей между эмоциональной дисрегуляцией, витальным интеллектом и устойчивостью студентов в зависимости от их профиля обучения. Методы. В выборку вошли 182 студента третьего курса (психология, N = 41; физика и математика, N = 69; естественные науки, N = 72), которые заполнили «Опросник эмоциональной дисрегуляции» (ОЭД) Н.А. Польской и А.Ю. Разваляевой, «Когнитивную регуляцию эмоций» (CERQ) Н. Гарнефски и В. Крайга (в адаптации О.Л. Писаревой и А. Гриценко), «Шкалы субъективной витальности как состояния и диспозиционной витальности» (Vt‑s и Vt‑d) Р. Райана и К. Фредерика (в адаптации Л.А. Александровой), шкалы актуального и потенциального витального интеллекта (VQ_A и VQ_B) П. Касса, а также «Шкалу устойчивости Коннор‑Дэвидсона» (CD‑RISC) К. Коннор и Дж. Дэвидсона. Корреляционный анализ проводился отдельно по профилям с использованием коэффициента Спирмена. Результаты. Выявлены резко контрастирующие паттерны. У студентов-психологов эмоциональная дисрегуляция положительно связана с перефокусировкой на планирование и демонстрирует парадоксальную связь: положительную с актуальным витальным интеллектом, но отрицательную с потенциальным; кроме того, большинство стратегий CERQ, включая маладаптивные, положительно коррелируют с устойчивостью. У студентов-физиков, напротив, эмоциональная дисрегуляция однонаправленно отрицательно связана с витальностью как состоянием, диспозиционной витальностью и устойчивостью, при этом наиболее стабильным коррелятом выступает самообвинение; что особенно важно, обычно адаптивные стратегии (принятие и положительная переоценка) в этой группе отрицательно коррелируют с витальностью. В обоих профилях руминация последовательно связана с более высоким актуальным, но более низким потенциальным витальным интеллектом. Заключение. Эмоциональная дисрегуляция универсально снижает способность реализовывать жизненный потенциал, однако когнитивные пути этого снижения фундаментально различаются в зависимости от академического профиля: у психологов наблюдается метакогнитивный паттерн, поддерживающий витальность за счёт когнитивных усилий, тогда как у физиков доминирует истощающий паттерн, при котором дисрегуляция напрямую подрывает энергию и устойчивость. Эти профильно-специфические закономерности требуют разработки адресных, чувствительных к дисциплинарной специфике программ психологической поддержки в высшем образовании.

Ключевые слова: витальность, витальный интеллект, эмоциональная дисрегуляция, профиль обучения

Introduction

True courage, like true fear, must be understood as an expression of perfect vitality. This aphorism by Paul Tillich captures the existential depth of vitality, a construct that, for the layperson, becomes tangible through O. Henry’s short story “The Last Leaf,” where two destinies illustrate the poles of fading and rebirth. Yet vitality is not merely a literary metaphor; it resonates with L.N. Gumilyov’s theory of passionarity (1990), where excessive life energy manifests as fanaticism, overexertion, and self-sacrifice for the sake of self realisation. Philosophically, vitality is understood as a life resource, the ability for existential self-affirmation and creativity, an internal system upon which human behaviour is built (Maltseva, 2020). In psychological science, the concept was operationalised by Ryan and Frederick (1997) as subjective vitality, the conscious experience of being filled with energy and life, and has been linked to effective coping and overall wellbeing. Cass (2010) further distinguished between actual and potential vital intelligence, proposing the vitality quotient as a predictor of leadership success.

The study of vitality and emotional regulation in students is motivated by contradictory data on the influence of cognitive development on psycho emotional resilience. Humanities and technical fields impose different demands on affective regulatory resources: the former are associated with increased empathic load, whereas the latter involve prolonged monotonous activity and limited social interaction. In this context, vitality may act as a buffer against academic stress, whereas emotional dysregulation, defined as a dysfunction of self-regulation characterised by undifferentiated affective cognitive complexes, high reactivity, and poor behavioural control (Polskaya & Razvalyaeva, 2017), increases the risk of maladaptation and neurotic symptoms. Research has shown that subjective vitality helps student teachers cope with high emotional loads, yet those with high extrinsic motivation are at risk of depletion (Minyurova et al., 2025). Similarly, socially prescribed perfectionism negatively correlates with dispositional vitality in psychology students (Vasilyeva & Sungurova, 2025). Emotional dysregulation, in turn, has been linked to reduced social cognitive outcomes (Lobanov et al., 2024). However, the interplay between these variables across different academic profiles remains largely unexplored.

The present study aims to fill this gap by examining (1) correlations between emotional dysregulation, cognitive emotion regulation strategies, and vital intelligence in psychology versus physics/mathematics students; (2) profile specific patterns linking cognitive strategies to resilience; and (3) the potential moderating role of academic specialisation. We hypothesise that the adaptive or maladaptive nature of specific cognitive strategies (e.g., rumination, refocusing, acceptance) depends on the academic context, with implications for vitality and resilience. A comparative analysis of these interrelated phenomena will help identify professionally specific patterns of responding to academic stress and develop profile oriented mental health support programmes.

Method

2.1. Participants

A total of 182 third‑year undergraduate students   from   three    Belarusian   universities participated: psychology (N = 41), physics and mathematics   (N = 69),   and    natural   sciences
(N = 72). For this report, we focus on a comparative analysis of the psychology and physics/mathematics subsamples, as they represent polar academic profiles.

2.2. Instruments

The following validated instruments were administered:

• Emotional Dysregulation Questionnaire (EDQ) (Polskaya & Razvalyaeva, 2017), measuring rumination, avoidance, difficulties in mentalization, and total dysregulation.
• Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) (Garnefski & Kraaij, 2007; adapted by Pisareva & Gritsenko, 2011), assessing nine strategies including self‑blame, acceptance, rumination, refocusing on planning, and catastrophizing.
• Subjective Vitality Scales (Ryan & Frederick, 1997; adapted by Alexandrova, 2014): State Vitality (Vt‑s) and Dispositional Vitality (Vt‑d).
• Vital Intelligence (VQ) Scale (Cass, 2010): Actual (VQ_A) and Potential (VQ_B) vital intelligence.
• Connor‑Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‑RISC) (Connor & Davidson, 2003).

2.3. Statistical Analysis

Data were analysed using Spearman’s rank‑order correlation in Statistica 6.0. Significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

3.1. Psychology Students: Correlations of EDQ with CERQ and Vital Intelligence

In the psychology subsample (Table 1), rumination (EDQ‑R) positively correlated with CERQ refocusing on planning (rₛ = 0.600, p < 0.001), acceptance (rₛ = 0.332, p < 0.05), and catastrophizing (rₛ = 0.322, p < 0.05). The total EDQ score also correlated positively with refocusing on planning (rₛ = 0.549, p < 0.001). Notably, rumination and total EDQ showed a positive association with actual vital intelligence (VQ_A) and a negative association with potential vital intelligence (VQ_B) (all p < 0.05).

3.2. Psychology Students: CERQ Strategies with Vitality and Resilience

CERQ rumination positively correlated with CD‑RISC resilience (rₛ = 0.588, p = 0.001) and dispositional vitality (rₛ = 0.549, p = 0.001). Similarly, adaptive strategies (positive refocusing, rational analysis, positive reappraisal) and even maladaptive ones (self‑blame, other‑blame) showed positive correlations with resilience and/or dispositional vitality. The only negative correlation was between catastrophizing and state vitality (rₛ = ‑0.327, p = 0.040) (Table 2).

In physics students, EDQ rumination correlated strongly with CERQ acceptance (rₛ = 0.503, p = 0.001), self‑blame (rₛ = 0.477, p = 0.001), and rational analysis (rₛ = 0.338, p = 0.005). The total EDQ score was most robustly associated with self‑blame (rₛ = 0.500, p = 0.001) and acceptance (rₛ = 0.405, p = 0.001). In contrast to psychology students, catastrophizing was also positively associated with all EDQ subscales (Table 3).

3.4. Physics Students: EDQ with Vital Intelligence and Resilience

Unlike the psychology group, physics students exhibited consistent negative correlations between EDQ indicators and both subjective/dispositional vitality and resilience. For example, EDQ rumination negatively correlated with state vitality (rₛ = ‑0.438, p = 0.001), dispositional vitality (rₛ = ‑0.364, p = 0.002), and resilience (rₛ = ‑0.488, p = 0.001). The total EDQ score showed similar negative associations with all three resource measures. However, as in psychology students, rumination correlated positively with actual vital intelligence (rₛ = 0.253, p = 0.036) and negatively with potential vital intelligence (rₛ = ‑0.253, p = 0.036) (Table 4).

3.5. Physics Students: CERQ Strategies with Vitality and Resilience

In physics students, CERQ rumination correlated positively with resilience (rₛ = 0.411, p = 0.001) and dispositional vitality (rₛ = 0.350, p = 0.003), mirroring the psychology group. However, contrary to psychologists, acceptance and positive reappraisal showed negative correlations with state and dispositional vitality in physicists. For instance, acceptance correlated negatively with dispositional vitality (rₛ = ‑0.310, p = 0.009), and positive reappraisal negatively with state vitality (rₛ = ‑0.263, p = 0.029) (Table 5).

Discussion

The results of this study reveal a clear and consistent pattern: the relationship between emotional dysregulation, cognitive emotion regulation, and vitality is profoundly moderated by the academic profile of the students. At the most general level, we found that across both groups, increased emotional dysregulation was associated with a reduced capacity to realise one’s life potential, as indexed by lower potential vital intelligence. However, the pathways through which dysregulation exerts its effects diverge sharply. For psychology students, most cognitive emotion regulation strategies, both those conventionally labelled adaptive (positive refocusing, rational analysis, positive reappraisal) and even those considered maladaptive (self‑blame, other‑blame), correlated positively with resilience and dispositional vitality. This seemingly paradoxical pattern suggests that for students trained in introspection and meaning‑making, the act of cognitively engaging with negative events, whether through self‑attribution or reappraisal, may serve a metacognitive function that preserves a sense of causality and personal agency. Rumination, in particular, appears to act as a form of “working through” that, while effortful, maintains a high level of actual vitality because the student experiences it as active mental work. Nevertheless, this process depletes the reserve of potential vitality, indicating that the energetic cost of such cognitive elaboration is not without consequences.

In striking contrast, physics and mathematics students showed a uniformly negative relationship between emotional dysregulation and all measures of subjective and dispositional vitality, as well as resilience. Here, dysregulation does not undergo cognitive transformation but directly drains life energy. The most robust correlate of dysregulation in this group was self‑blame, which may indicate that for STEM students, failure to regulate emotions is interpreted as a personal cognitive failure, thereby intensifying distress. Moreover, the negative correlations between typically adaptive strategies, acceptance and positive reappraisal, and vitality are particularly telling. We interpret this as evidence that for students with a strongly analytic, problem‑solving orientation, acceptance of a negative situation is experienced as cognitive surrender, a passive stance that contradicts their active, agentic approach to challenges. Similarly, positive reappraisal may feel like a superficial or even dishonest reframing, which, when life resources are low, operates more as a defence mechanism than as productive coping. Thus, what is generally considered adaptive in clinical settings may become maladaptive in the context of high‑demand analytic academic work.

Remarkably, a cross‑profile constant emerged: rumination was positively associated with actual vital intelligence and negatively with potential vital intelligence in both groups. This dissociation suggests that the process of ruminating is subjectively experienced as energy‑consuming and is perceived as active mental engagement, hence the higher score on current vitality; however, it simultaneously erodes the reserve capacity for future action, reflected in lower potential vitality. The consequences of this trade‑off, however, differ: in psychology students, it fuels a recursive cycle of introspection that, while costly, maintains a sense of control; in physics students, it leads to a more direct energetic exhaustion, possibly because rumination interferes with the precise, logical reasoning required in their studies.

These findings carry important implications for educational practice. The one‑size‑fits‑all approach to student mental health is clearly insufficient. For psychology students, interventions should focus on reducing the compulsive, anxiety‑driven aspect of planning without eliminating reflective processing altogether; helping them differentiate between productive and unproductive rumination could preserve their vitality. For physics students, the priority should be to reduce self‑blame and to avoid strategies that require passive acceptance; instead, interventions might emphasise active problem‑solving and emotional differentiation, framed as a logical challenge rather than as an emotional surrender. Universities should consider profile‑tailored workshops that teach regulation strategies aligned with the cognitive demands of each discipline.

We acknowledge several limitations. The cross‑sectional design precludes causal inferences, and the relatively small sample of psychology students calls for replication. Moreover, the study relied exclusively on self‑report measures, which may be subject to social desirability and introspection biases. Future longitudinal research could track how these patterns evolve over the course of studies and whether they predict academic persistence or professional burnout. Despite these limitations, the present study provides novel evidence that the interplay between emotional regulation and vitality is not universal but is shaped by the intellectual culture of the academic discipline. Recognising these profile‑specific dynamics is a crucial step towards developing more effective, person‑centred mental health support in higher education.

Conclusions

Emotional dysregulation consistently reduces the ability to realise one’s life potential, but the cognitive routes to this reduction are not the same across academic profiles. Psychology students exhibit a metacognitive pattern where cognitive effort sustains vitality despite dysregulation, whereas physics students show a depletive pattern where dysregulation directly undermines energy and resilience. These profile‑specific dynamics must be taken into account in the educational process and in designing preventive mental health programmes.

Ethical Statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Belarusian Psychological Society, including informed consent, confidentiality, and voluntary participation.

CRediT Author Statement: Conceptualisation: A.P.L., N.V.D.; Methodology: A.P.L., E.V.Z.; Formal analysis: A.P.L., A.N.P.; Investigation: N.V.D., M.V.Y.; Writing – original draft: A.P.L., N.V.D.; Writing – review & editing: E.V.Z., A.N.P.; Supervision: A.P.L.

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

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