Page No 11-19
Harshita Singh, Navya Raj, Trayambak Tiwari, Anil Kumar Yadav,
Shreshtha Yadav
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Anju L Singh
Vasanta Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Banaras Hindu University, Kamachha, Varanasi
Regular physical activity is widely recognized for enhancing emotional well-being, yet
lifestyle factors such as smoking may reduce these benefits. This study aimed to
compare emotion regulation difficulties and perceived stress between daily-smoking
and non-smoking gym-goers, and to examine the relationship between these variables
within each group. A total of 120 gym-goers aged 20–35 years (60 smokers, 60 nonsmokers)
from Uttar Pradesh were recruited using convenience sampling and completed
the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and the Perceived Stress Scale
(PSS). Independent samples t-tests revealed that smokers reported significantly higher
emotional dysregulation (M = 97.6, SD = 14.3) and perceived stress (M = 23.8, SD =
5.2) compared to non-smokers (M = 82.1, SD = 12.8; M = 18.7, SD = 4.9). Pearson
correlations showed significant positive associations between emotion regulation
difficulties and perceived stress in both groups, with a stronger relationship among
smokers (r = .62, p < .001) than non-smokers (r = .41, p < .01). These findings suggest
that smoking may undermine the psychological benefits of exercise by increasing
emotional dysregulation and stress among gym-goers, highlighting the need for
integrated interventions combining smoking cessation, emotion regulation training, and
physical activity promotion to support mental health in this population