Temperament, Emotion Regulation, and Affective Family Climate in Predicting Oppositional Behaviors in Male Adolescents

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a condition in which children display a pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and angry behavior toward people in authority.

The present study aimed to determine the predictors of ODD among male teenagers in the city of Urmia, Iran. Methods: For this descriptive-analytical study, 384 male students between the ages of 13-16 were selected through cluster sampling. The instruments used comprised Hill Burns’ (1964) Affective Family Climate, Garnefski's Emotion Self-Regulation (2006), Cloninger’s (1994) Temperament and Character Inventory, and Achenbach’s (1991) Youth Self-Report questionnaires. Data were analyzed in SPSS v.19 using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s comparison, and regression at a significance level of p≤0.05 

The results showed a direct and significant correlation between emotion regulation and symptoms of ODD (0.19, p<0.01). A direct and significant relationship was also found between temperament and ODD symptoms (-0.20, p<0.01). Pearson’s correlation analyses revealed a meaningful relation between the family's emotional atmosphere and symptoms of ODD (-0.53, p<0.01). Furthermore, multiple linear regression models indicated that 39.9% of the variance of ODD is predicted by emotion regulation, family emotional atmosphere, and temperament. 

Based on the results of this study, it seems likely that ODD is influenced by emotion regulation, temperament, and affective family climate; to prevent the formation of this disorder, it is recommended that these three variables be addressed.