Comparing emotional regulation and defense mechanisms in mothers of students with and without learning disabilities

The aim of this study was to compare emotional regulation and defense mechanisms in mothers of students with and without learning disabilities. This research is a causal-comparative and cross-sectional study. The statistical universe of this research includes all mothers of students with and without learning disabilities (8 to 16 years of age) in Noorabad (Delfan) city in 2012 (A.). The research population consisted of 30 mothers of students with learning disabilities selected using simple random sampling method and 30 mothers of normal students were selected using cloning techniques (based on maternal age, education, socio-economic base, and number of children). The scale of cognitive emotion regulation and defense mechanisms were used to collect the data. Results of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups of mothers in emotion regulation and defense mechanisms (P <0.001). The results show that those who make use of immature defense styles, have lower ability to manage and regulate emotions. Thus, you can help people properly using more developed defense mechanisms preparing educational programs teaching emotional skills.