Parental Emotional Abuse and Mental Health Problems: Expressive Suppression as a Mediator

Abstract

There is substantial literature on parental emotional abuse and its link to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. However, the role of expressive suppression as a mediator has not been extensively studied; therefore, the present study aimed to address this gap. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed, and purposive sampling was used to recruit adolescents aged 10 to 19 years from various cities in Pakistan. The instruments used included the DASS-21 to measure depression and anxiety, along with the Emotional Abuse Scale. Correlational analysis revealed significant positive relationships between parental emotional abuse, depression, anxiety, and expressive suppression. Furthermore, Hayes' PROCESS macro indicated that expressive suppression significantly mediated the relationship between parental emotional abuse and anxiety, but not depression. The study concludes with important implications for the mental health of adolescents.