The Role of Childhood Emotional Maltreatment in Adult Aggression with the Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation in Students at Yazd University

Introduction: Dealing with aggression in adults and adolescents is essential for creating a better society, and one of the most important steps in this regard is understanding the variables and factors that influence aggression.Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the role of childhood emotional maltreatment in adolescent aggression with the mediating role of emotion regulation in university students in Yazd. Method: The research method was quantitative in terms of approach, applied in terms of purpose, and non-experimental in nature (descriptive-correlational). The statistical population consisted of humanities students at Yazd University in the academic year 2022-2023, of which 200 were selected as the sample. Non-random sampling method was used. The research tools included the Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire (1992), the Life Experiences Questionnaire by Gibb et al. (2001), and the Emotion Regulation Difficulties Questionnaire by Gratz and Roemer (2004), with reliability coefficients obtained through cronbach's alpha of 0/88, 0/92, and 0/90, respectively. For data analysis, structural equation modeling was employed using SPSS25 and AMOS24 software. Rusults: The results showed that childhood emotional maltreatment significantly and directly predicts adolescent aggression (β=0/28, p<0/01), as well as emotion regulation difficulties (β=0/48, p<0/01), and that emotion regulation difficulties positively and significantly affect student aggression as a mediating variable (β=0/54, p< 0/01). Conclusion: F The type of parental behavior towards the child, especially emotional maltreatment during childhood, can have a significant impact on adult life, as well as the tendency towards aggression and the level of individual emotion regulation.