The Relationship between Emotion Regulation Strategies and Life Expectancy and Resilience in the Mothers of Children with Intellectual Disability

Intellectual Disability (ID) is defined by defects in mental functioning and adaptive behavior in conceptual, social, and practical contexts. The parents of children with IDs experience decreased happiness, self–esteem, and self–efficacy. One of the personality traits, i.e., closely related to life challenges is resilience. Life expectancy is a cognitive complex based on a sense of success, i.e., influenced by various sources. Life expectancy is a powerful source and a form of rebirth, i.e., vital to individuals. Emotion Regulation (ER) is among the essential features in the mothers of children with IDs. ER can be defined as the cognitive emotion control method. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the effects of ER strategies on life expectancy and resilience in mothers of children with IDs.

This was a descriptive–analytical and correlational study. The statistical population of the study consisted of the mothers of children with IDs whose children were educated in exceptional primary schools in Tehran City, Iran, in the academic year of 2018–2019. The total sample size, based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) Table was measured to be at least 123 individuals; for higher certainty and considering the odds of samples dropout, and predicting non–cooperation, 180 mothers of children with IDs who were referred to learning disability centers for their child's problem were selected by convenience sampling method. The inclusion criteria of the study included having a child with ID and a minimum diploma level of education. The exclusion criterion of the study was an unwillingness to cooperate in this study. The necessary data were collected using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski & Kraaij, 2006), Life Expectancy Scale (Snyder et al., 1991), and Ahvaz Psychological Hardiness Scale (Kiamarsi et al., 1999). The obtained data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis approaches at the significance level of 0.05 in SPSS.

There was a positive and significant relationship between adaptive ER strategies and life expectancy (r=0.65, p<0.001) and resilience (r=0.67, p<0.001). There was also a negative and significant relationship between maladaptive ER strategies and life expectancy (r=–0.60, p<0.001) and resilience (r=–0.56, p<0.001). According to multiple regression results, 42.3% of life expectancy variance was explained by adaptive ER strategies. Furthermore, 36% of the variance in life expectancy was explained by maladaptive ER strategies. Additionally, 44.9% of the variance of resilience was explained by adaptive ER strategies. Eventually, 30.3% of the variance of resilience was explained by maladaptive ER strategies.

Given the importance of ER strategies in predicting life expectancy and resilience in the mothers of children with IDs, special attention to its components is suggested to be paid by the relevant specialists.