Parental Psychological Control and Aggression Among Adolescents: Mediating Role of Emotional Dysregulation

The present research examined the relationship between parental psychological control, emotional dysregulation, and aggression among adolescents. It was also intended to determine the mediating role of emotional dysregulation in the relationship between parental psychological control and aggression. It was a correlational study and purposive sample of 350 (n = 176 girls, n = 174 boys) students from school and college aged between 13 to 18 years (M = 15.77; SD = 1.37) were included in the present study. Dependency Oriented and Achievement Oriented Psychological Control Scales (Soenens, Vansteenkiste, & Luyten, 2010), Peer Conflict Scale-Youth version (Marsee & Frick, 2007), and Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004) were administered to measure the constructs under study. Results revealed significant relationship among variables. Mediation analysis revealed that emotional dysregulation significantly mediated the relationship between parental psychological control and aggression among adolescents. The results were discussed in the context of previous literature and culture of Pakistan.