Comparison of emotional regulation ability and psychological flexibility in adolescent girls with internalized behavioral disorders and normal adolescents

Numerous studies have focused on the regulation of emotion and psychological resilience among adolescents, but there is a research gap on the regulation of emotion and psychological resilience among adolescents with internalized behavioral disorders and normal adolescents. This study aimed to compare emotion regulation and psychological flexibility in female adolescents with internalized behavioral disorders and normal female adolescents.

In this cross-sectional study, the sample consisted of two groups of 70 female students with internalized behavioral disorders and 70 normal female students from schools in Yazd who were purposefully selected. Research instruments included Behavioral Inventory Questionnaire (CBCL), Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (AFQ-Y8) and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ-CA). Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and independent t-test.

According to the findings, the mean of reassessment, repression and psychological resilience in adolescents with internalized behavioral disorders were 20.88, 14.38, 16.55, respectively, and those without the disorder were 6.78, 19.25, 9.25, and 6.22. The results also showed that the variables of repression (t=-6.13) and psychological resilience (t=-10.61) were significantly different between the two groups with internalized behavioral disorders and normal individuals (P<0.001). But there was no significant difference between the two groups in re-evaluation.

It is seems that adolescents with internalized behavioral disorders to avoid accepting and managing their emotion properly by suppressing them compared to normal people. Therefore, promoting psychological flexibility can affect their ability to cope and manage their emotions.