The role of mentalisation and emotion regulation difficultes in the relationship between parental attitudes and psychological problems in adolescents

This research aimed to investigate the interplay between adolescent mentalisation, emotion regulation difficulties, depression, anxiety, stress, and parenting attitudes. The study involved 423 high school students in Erzincan province during the 2023-2024 academic year. Data collection instruments included the Leuven Perceived Parenting Attitude Scale, Reflective Functioning Scale - Adolescent Form, Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and a Personal Information Form. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis was utilized to examine the relationships between variables, and a Structural Equation Model was employed to assess the developed model. The findings indicated that positive parenting attitudes correlated positively with mentalisation and negatively with emotion regulation difficulties. Moreover, emotion dysregulation was found to positively predict psychological issues, while mentalisation had a negative predictive relationship with psychological problems. Furthermore, there was an indirect association between parenting attitudes and psychological problems through emotion dysregulation and mentalisation. This study suggests that parenting attitudes can impact adolescents' mental health by fostering emotion regulation and mentalisation skills, highlighting the potential benefits of integrating these components into psychological interventions.