Developmental Family Functioning and Conduct Disorder Symptoms in Teenagers: The Function of Cognitive Emotion Regulation

Background: Conduct disorder is a prevalent difficulty among children and adolescents, encompassing a range of mental and behavioral problems. The present study aimed to determine the association of developmental family functioning and conduct disorder signs with the mediating effect of cognitive emotion regulation in adolescents.Methods: The present descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 362 students aged 15-18 (16.70±0.92) in Tabriz, Iran in 2023. The study participants were chosen through multi-stage cluster sampling technique. Data collection was done using Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Youth Self Report Questionnaire (YSRQ) and Developmental Family Functioning Assessment Scale Questionnaire (DFFAQ) and interviews. Data analysis was done through descriptive statistical methods and path analysis with SPSS version 23 and LISREL version 8.80.Results: Mean±SD of the studied variables were as follows: Attention and regulation (2.35±0.54), Logical thinking (1.96±0.49), Discipline (1.95±0.45), Catastrophizing (2.63±1.16), and Acceptance (2.75±1.24). The data analysis showed that the developmental family functioning had a significant association with negative (r=-0.21, P=0.0001) and positive strategies (r=0.32, P=0.0001) of cognitive emotion regulation. Also, negative (r=0.31, P=0.0001) and positive strategies (r=-0.44, P=0.0001) of cognitive emotion regulation had a statistically significant correlation with conduct disorder symptoms.Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, developmental family functioning has a significant association with the symptoms of conduct disorder in adolescents due to the association between negative and positive strategies of cognitive emotion regulation.