The Relationship Between Ambivalence in Emotional Expression and Impulsivity with the Mediation of Self-Control in Adolescent Students with Depression Disorder

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between ambivalence in emotional expression and impulsivity with the mediation of self-control in adolescent students with depression disorder.

Methods and Materials: The research method was descriptive and correlational using structural equation modeling. The sampling method employed in this research was convenience sampling. The researcher selected 150 students meeting the inclusion criteria from the Counseling Center of the Department of Education in Qazvin city. To ensure the presence of depression in the participants, the Beck Depression Inventory was distributed, collected, and analyzed. According to Delavar (2006), a sample size of 100 participants is sufficient for descriptive studies; however, to increase the internal and external stability of the findings, 150 participants were chosen, proportionate to the number of variables. Data collection was carried out using the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck & Ward, 1978), the Patton Impulsivity Scale (Patton, Stanford, & Barratt, 1995), the King and Emmons Emotional Expressivity Scale (King & Emmons, 1990), and the Kendall and Wilcox Self-Control Questionnaire (Kendall & Wilcox, 1979). Descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlation-path analysis, were employed for data analysis using SPSS version 26.

Findings: The results of the study confirmed the hypothesis that self-control plays a mediating role in the relationship between ambivalence in emotional expression and impulsivity among adolescent students with depression disorder. Additionally, the results indicated a significant relationship between ambivalence in emotional expression and both impulsivity and self-control. Further findings showed a significant relationship between impulsivity and self-control.

Conclusion: Thus, the research hypothesis, which posits the mediating role of self-control in the relationship between emotional ambivalence in expression and impulsivity among adolescent students with depression disorder, is supported.