Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is considered to be a significant impairment in childhood and adolescence. According to cognitive theories, parents' external criticism and emotional self-regulation are among the variables that can directly or indirectly affect obsessive beliefs.
Objective: The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of emotional self-regulation in the relationship between parents' external criticism and obsessive beliefs in adolescents.
Methods: In this study, 547 high school students aged between 15 and 18 years were selected using multi-stage cluster random sampling. An obsessive beliefs questionnaire-child version (OBQ-CV), a self-regulatory orientations scale, and a perceived criticism questionnaire were used to collect data. Pearson's correlation was used to investigate the relationship between the study variables. For analysis of the mediation model, structural equation modeling using the AMOS software was employed.
Results: The fitness indices for the four-factor structure of the OBQ, two-factor structure of the emotional self-regulation instrument, and single-factor structure of parents' external criticism were reported as favorable [root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)<0.1]. External criticism was associated only indirectly with obsessive beliefs through emotional self-regulation. The two variables of emotional self-regulation and external criticism explained 47% of the variance in obsessive beliefs.
Conclusion: This study showed that self-regulation can mediate in the relationship between parents' external criticism and obsessive beliefs in adolescents that could have implications for parents' behaviors and positive emotional regulatory processes. In order to identify other potential mechanisms of parents' criticism on obsessive beliefs, further studies are necessary, especially in clinical samples.
Keywords: emotional self-regulation; external criticism; obsessive-compulsive disorder.