The Sequential Mediating Effects of Emotional Clarity and Mindfulness on the Relationship between Perceived Parental Psychological Control and Maladaptive Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Female Middle School Students

This study investigated the mediating and sequential mediating effects of emotional clarity and mindfulness on the relationship between perceived parental psychological control and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation in female middle school students. A total of 366 students from K Girls' Middle School in Nam-gu, D Metropolitan City, completed an online questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 along with PROCESS Macro 4.2, specifically Model 4 and Model 6, employing bootstrapping to assess the significance of the indirect effects. The analysis revealed that both emotional clarity and mindfulness significantly mediated the relationship between perceived parental psychological control and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation. Furthermore, the sequential mediating effects of emotional clarity and mindfulness were confirmed in this context. The study highlights the importance of mindfulness interventions to enhance emotional clarity and facilitate the adaptive regulation of maladaptive cognitive emotions in middle school girls experiencing psychological control from their parents. Additionally, the study addresses its limitations and offers recommendations for future research.