Expressive suppression during the 2024 student movement in Bangladesh: association with rumination and psychological distress

Abstract

In 2024, Bangladesh saw widespread anti-government social unrest. The unrest was frequently accompanied by high levels of violence and severe vandalism, which had a negative impact on the psychological health of the Bangladeshi people. Nevertheless, even after the turmoil has subsided, studies showed persistent mental distress. That is why, we looked at the relationship between rumination and psychological distress to better understand how this upheaval impacts people's psychological functioning. The online questionnaire survey was conducted among the students aged between 16-45 years in late 2024 to early 2025 (n=522). The data was analysed by SPSS software. The findings revealed a significant positive association between expressive repression linked to anxiety, stress, and depression caused by the unrest. The results of our study imply that expressive suppression might be a significant factor in explaining how socio- political unrest affects psychological distress.