The Relationship between Parents' Emotion Regulation and Students' Self-Confidence: The Mediating Role of Self-Belief in Students in Tehran

Self-confidence is a crucial psychological resource for academic and social success in students. Parenting factors, particularly parents' ability to regulate their own emotions, may significantly influence children's self-beliefs and confidence. However, the mediating mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of students' self-belief in the relationship between parents' emotion regulation and students' self-confidence in a sample of high school students in Tehran, Iran. This was a descriptive-correlational study using a cross-sectional design. A sample of ۳۵۰ high school students (aged ۱۴-۱۸ years) and one of their parents (n=۳۵۰) were selected from three educational districts in Tehran using multistage cluster random sampling during the ۲۰۲۴-۲۰۲۵ academic year. Participants completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) for parents, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) adapted for self-confidence, and the Self-Belief Scale (SBS) for students. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and mediation analysis with the PROCESS macro (Model ۴) in SPSS-۲۵. Parents' emotion regulation (specifically cognitive reappraisal) was positively and significantly correlated with students' self-confidence (r = ۰.۴۲, P < ۰.۰۱) and self-belief (r = ۰.۳۹, P < ۰.۰۱). Self-belief was also positively correlated with self-confidence (r = ۰.۵۸, P < ۰.۰۱). The mediation analysis showed that self-belief partially mediated the relationship between parents' cognitive reappraisal and students' self-confidence (indirect effect = ۰.۱۸, Boot SE = ۰.۰۴, ۹۵% CI [۰.۱۱, ۰.۲۶]), accounting for ۴۸% of the total effect. Parents' expressive suppression showed a weak negative correlation with self-confidence (r = -۰.۱۱, P < ۰.۰۵). Parents' use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal) is associated with higher self-confidence in their adolescent children, and this relationship is significantly explained by the students' own self-belief. These findings highlight the importance of family-based emotional modeling and suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing parents' emotion regulation skills could indirectly foster self-belief and confidence in students.

کلیدواژه ها:

Parents' emotion regulation ، cognitive reappraisal ، self-belief ، self-confidence ، students