The Relationship Between Executive Functions with Family cohesion, Positive Youth Development and Emotional Maturity among Adolescence: The Mediating Role of Emotional Regulation

This study examined the associations among the executive functions, family cohesion, positive youth development and emotional maturity in adolescents, as well as the mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between executive functions, family cohesion, positive youth development and emotional maturity. Participants of this study included 300 high school students in grades 10 to 12 from six schools in Qom, Iran who completed the BRIEF2 Scale, the FACES IV, Positive youth development–short form, Emotional maturity questionnaire and Emotion Regulation Scale. Structural equation modeling revealed was positively associated executive functions with family cohesion, emotion regulation with emotional maturity and positive youth development. Also, the results indicated that no significant relationship between emotion regulation and family cohesion. Interaction-mediation analysis demonstrated that emotion regulation in the relationship between executive functions and family cohesion plays a full mediating role and in the relationship between executive functions and positive youth development and in the relationship between executive functions and emotional maturity has minor mediating role.  In generally, attention to the findings in this study can be used by researchers and therapists in the design and application of effective cognitive and psychological interventions to reduce the problems and mitigate the crises facing adolescents.