Self-control as a mediator between caregiver burden and psychological resilience among psychiatric caregivers in Oman

Caregivers of individuals with chronic psychiatric disorders are frequently exposed to high subjective burden, which may undermine their psychological resilience. Trait Emotional Intelligence (TEI), particularly its self-control facet, has been proposed as a protective factor; however, the mechanisms linking caregiver burden, self-control, and resilience are not well established. This cross-sectional study investigated whether self-control mediates the relationship between caregiver burden and psychological resilience among psychiatric caregivers in Oman. A total of 187 caregivers attending a tertiary outpatient clinic completed validated Arabic versions of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Zarit Burden Interview-Short Form (ZBI-12). Mediation analysis was conducted using 5,000 bootstrap resamples, adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Higher caregiver burden was significantly associated with lower self-control (β = -0.28, p = 0.002), and higher self-control was significantly associated with greater resilience (β = 0.52, p < 0.001). The indirect effect of burden on resilience via self-control was statistically significant (β = -0.15, 95% CI: -0.24 to -0.07), whereas the direct effect was non-significant after accounting for self-control, consistent with full mediation. These findings suggest that self-control may play a mediating role in the relationship between caregiver burden and resilience. Interventions targeting emotion-regulation skills could potentially enhance resilience among psychiatric caregivers, however longitudinal studies are needed to establish causal pathways.