(PS6-66) Emotion dysregulation as a potential mediator between parental psychological control and interparental conflict with college students’ depressive symptoms

Abstract Text: Increasing rates of depression are a major concern (see meta-analysis by Moreno-Agostino et al., 2021). Depression is one of the most frequently cited issues identified by college counselors (Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2025). Emotion dysregulation is related to depression (see meta-analysis by Aksu et al., 2023). Parental psychological control can impede their offspring's’ autonomy and foster emotional suppression. Also, interparental conflict that results in an aversive emotional climate can promote emotional dysregulation in youth (Gong & Paulson, 2017). A meta-analysis (Lin et al., 2024) showed controlling parental behaviors and family conflict were related to youth’s emotion regulation which contributed to internalizing symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety). Therefore, we tested this model with emerging adults. Self-report survey data were collected from 2641 ethnically diverse students at a Hispanic Serving Institution (62% Latino, 18-25 years, 70.5% female, 76.2% lived at home, 66.7% 2-biological parent home, 57.3% 2nd generation immigrant). For both males and females, zero-order correlations indicated all family variables were significantly and positively correlated to emotion dysregulation and depressive symptoms. Multi-group path analyses for genders conducted in RStudio indicated male and female students’ perceptions of maternal and paternal psychological control and covert interparental conflict (IPC) were indirectly related to depressive symptoms through emotion dysregulation. For females, maternal psychological control and overt IPC were directly related to depression. For males, covert IPC was directly related to depression. Because emotion dysregulation strategies vary across cultures, a multi-group path model was conducted using only the Latino sample. The results were similar for both genders except that maternal psychological control was not significantly related to Latino males’ emotion dysregulation. Despite the limitations of this study (e.g., cross-sectional, self-report data, 1 university), various implications emerge. Providers may benefit from assessing clients’ emotion regulation strategies and perceptions of their family emotional climate (e.g., maternal/paternal psychological control, overt IPC, covert IPC). CBT is effective in improving emotion regulation (see review by Saccaro et al., 2024). CBT clinicians can help clients use psychoeducation to promote effective emotion regulation strategies. Clients could be taught how to reframe parents’ psychologically controlling behaviors, strategies to avoid being triangulated from covert IPC, and ways to reduce stress resulting from psychological control and IPC.