Associations between parental difficulties in emotion regulation and preschoolers’ behavioural problems: findings from independent maternal and paternal samples

This study investigated whether children's maladaptive emotion regulation mediates the association between parental emotion regulation diffilcultics and behavioural problems, and whether these associations differ between mothers and fathers. Participants were 300 preschool children aged 3–6 years and one parent per child in Bojnord, Iran (170 mothers and 130 fathers). Parents completed questionaires assessing emotion regulation difficulties, child's emotion regulation, and behavioural problems. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was conducted separately for maternal and paternal subsamples Parental emotion regulation difficulties were associated with greater maladaptive emotion regulation in children, which was associated with more behavioural problems. Significant indirect association were found in paternal (β = .482, 95% CI [.288, .604]) and maternal models (β = .499, 95% CI [.410, .601]). Model fit was acceptable (SRMR = .07 and .08, respectively). These findings highlight children's maladaptive emotion regulation as potential pathway linking parental difficulties to preschoolers’ behavioural problems.