The Mediating Role of impulsivity and Emotional Dysregulation in the Relationship between Affective and Emotional Temperament and Self-harm Behaviors

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of impulsivity and emotional dysregulation in the relationship between affective and emotional temperament and self-harm behaviors in university students

The Method of the present study was descriptive-correlational research using structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method. The statistical population of the research was all students between the ages of 18 and 25 in the city of Mashhad that 630 of them were selected through convenience sampling technique. The instruments for data collection included The Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory, The Affective and Emotional Composite Temperament (AFECT) scale and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11. The data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique and R software.

The results indicated that the hypothesized model had a good fit with the observed data.(RMSEA0/08). The results showed that the variables of impulsivity (β=0/29, p<0/001) and emotional dysregulation (β=0/50, p<0/001) have a direct positive and significant effect on self-harm behaviors. also impulsivity and emotional dysregulation mediated the relationship between affective and emotional temperament with self-harm behaviors(β=0/294, p<0/001).

Results showed that the impulsivity and Emotional Dysregulation can partly explain the association between Temperament and Self harm behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention to skills such as emotion regulation and impulsivity.Keywords:, Emotional Dysregulation, impulsivity, Self-harm Behaviors, Affective and Emotional Temperament.