KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) Journal of Adolescent and Youth Psychological Studies (JAYPS) 2981-2526 7 Serial Number 46 2026 06 10 A Structural Equation Modeling Study of Parental Psychological Control, Emotion Regulation Difficulties, and Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Rejection Sensitivity A Structural Equation Modeling Study of Parental Psychological Control, Emotion Regulation Difficulties, and Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Rejection Sensitivity 1 12 10.61838/kman.jayps.5412 EN Journal Article 2026 01 15 <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p><strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to examine the direct and indirect relationships among parental psychological control, emotion regulation difficulties, rejection sensitivity, and depressive symptoms in adolescents, with a particular focus on the mediating role of rejection sensitivity.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials: </strong>A cross-sectional design was employed with 718 adolescents aged 13–18 years recruited from secondary schools in Canada. Parental psychological control was measured using the Psychological Control Scale–Youth Self-Report, emotion regulation difficulties using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), rejection sensitivity using the Children’s Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, and depressive symptoms using the CES-DC. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test direct and indirect pathways, with model fit evaluated using χ², CFI, TLI, IFI, RMSEA, and SRMR indices. Bootstrap resampling with 5,000 iterations was employed to examine the significance of indirect effects.</p> <p><strong>Findings: </strong>SEM analyses revealed that parental psychological control was positively associated with emotion regulation difficulties (β = .58, p &lt; .001) and rejection sensitivity (β = .42, p &lt; .001). Emotion regulation difficulties were positively related to both rejection sensitivity (β = .39, p &lt; .001) and depressive symptoms (β = .49, p &lt; .001), while rejection sensitivity also predicted depressive symptoms (β = .31, p &lt; .001). The direct effect of parental psychological control on depressive symptoms was significant but reduced (β = .11, p = .006), indicating partial mediation. Bootstrap analyses confirmed significant indirect effects through emotion regulation difficulties (β = .284, 95% CI [.221, .352]), rejection sensitivity (β = .130, 95% CI [.089, .182]), and the sequential pathway via both mediators (β = .070, 95% CI [.044, .103]). The model explained 58% of the variance in depressive symptoms.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings indicate that parental psychological control contributes to adolescent depressive symptoms primarily through its impact on emotion regulation difficulties and rejection sensitivity.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/jayps/article/download/5412/10515