The Role of Executive Functions and Negative Automatic Thoughts in Difficulties of Emotion Regulation in Adolescent

The aim of this study is to survey the role ofexecutive functions as cognitive/neuroscience and negative automatic thoughts and as cognitive/psychology factors in adolescent’s difficulties in emotion regulation. The statistic society in this study consisted of all adolescent boys who lived in Bushehr in 2016- 2017. From them 128 secondary school students selected via random cluster sampling from Bushehr schools. Data were collected using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Negative Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, Stroop Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and the Continuous Performance Test. Inter and stepwise multivariate analyses of covariance were used for data analysis. The results showed that from executive functions elements, inhibition can predict lack of emotional awareness. From negative automatic thoughts elements, personal incompatibility can predict all elements of difficulties in emotion regulation include non-acceptance of emotional responses, difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior, impulse control difficulties, lack of emotional awareness, limited access to emotion regulation strategies, lack of emotional clarity. Furthermore, negative self-concept is the predictor of lack of emotional awareness. The result bold the role of negative automatic thoughts in difficulties in emotion regulation among adolescents, so findings of this research have clinical application and can affect training programs about regulation and control emotions.