The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation Strategies in the Relationship Between Emotional Abuse and Self-Harm Behaviors in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: It is important to pay attention to the self-injury behaviors in adolescence as one of the high-risk behaviors with adverse consequences for the individual and society. Objective: This study aims to investigate the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between emotional abuse in childhood and self-injury behaviors in female adolescents. Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study. Participants were 200 female high school students in Rasht, Iran in the academic year 2020-2021 who were selected using a convenience sampling method. Data collection tools included the self-harm inventory (SHI), childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ), and emotion regulation questionnaire (ERQ). The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis in SPSS Software v. 23 and Amos v. 26. Results: There was a significant relationship between emotional abuse and self-injury behaviors (P<0.001). The reappraisal domain had a significant negative relationship with emotional abuse and self-injury behaviors, and the suppression domain had a significant positive relationship with emotional abuse and self-injury behaviors. Emotion regulation strategies had partial mediating role in the relationship between emotional abuse and self-injury behaviors (P<0.001). Conclusion: Considering the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies, more attention to the use of these strategies should be paid to reduce the occurrence of self-injury behaviors in female adolescents.