PARENTAL EMOTIONAL ABUSE, EMOTIONAL REGULATION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING AMONG YOUNG PAKISTANI ADULTS: A MEDIATING MODERATING STUDY

Abstract

In the collectivistic society of Pakistan, children are often blamed for displaying irritable behaviour and even for showing signs of psychological distress, whereas the emotional abuse by parents is not substantially addressed. As a result, the emotional regulation of children deteriorates over time, leading to adverse effects on their psychological well-being. Although some studies have examined the impact of parental emotional abuse on children's psychological well-being, research remains limited in Pakistan, particularly with samples of young adults. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to investigate the impact of parental emotional abuse on the psychological well-being of young adults, with emotional regulation—specifically, expressive suppression as a mediator and cognitive reappraisal as a moderator. The study utilized a cross-sectional correlational research design and a purposive sampling technique to collect data from 350 young adults, all Pakistani citizens, who were college and university students aged between 18 and 30. Three instruments were used: the Emotional Abuse Questionnaire, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Psychological Well-being Questionnaire. The findings indicate that expressive suppression significantly mediates the negative impact of emotional abuse on psychological well-being, while cognitive reappraisal did not significantly moderate this  relationship. The study emphasizes the need for increased awareness among Pakistani parents regarding kind and empathetic treatment of children, and it advocates for promoting psychological help-seeking behavior among young adults.