Structural model of self- silencing in women based on psychological distress and marital conflict with the mediating role of difficulty in emotion regulation

This research was conducted to investigate the mediating role of difficulty in emotion regulation in the relationship between psychological distress and marital conflict with self-silencing in women. The current research was a descriptive-correlation type of structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the research was all the women of Rey City in 2024. Using the available sampling method, a sample of 300 people was selected and participated in the study. Research tools included: Silencing the Self Scale (STSS, Jack & Dill, 1992), Psychological Distress Scale (K10, Kessler, 2002), Marital conflict questionnaire (MCQ, Sanaei, 2001), and Difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS, Gratz & Roemer, 2004). The data were analyzed using the structural equation analysis method. The results of the structural equation analysis indicated the appropriate fit of the model. The findings showed that marital conflict can directly predict self-silencing (p< 0.001). Also, psychological distress and marital conflict could indirectly predict self-silencing in women through difficulty in emotional regulation (p< 0.001). These results show that psychological distress and marital conflict, due to the important role of difficulty in emotion regulation, can explain self-silencing in women, and it is necessary to pay attention to these factors in interaction with each other in programs to reduce marital problems.