A path analysis of the effects of emotional temperaments on symptoms of conduct disorder in adolescents: An investigation of the mediating role of anger rumination

Introduction: Emotional temperaments are consistently associated with psychopathology and recognized as a risk factor for many psychological disorders. However, the underlying mechanisms of this relationship remain unclear. Aim: This study aimed to conduct a path analysis of the effects of emotional temperaments on the symptoms of conduct disorder in adolescents by investigating the mediating role of anger rumination. Method: This descriptive, correlational study was conducted by the structural equation modeling method. The statistical population consisted of all first- and second-grade high school students in Urmia, Iran, in 2020-2021 academic years. A total of 220 students were selected by the multistage random sampling method and completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (2003), Affective and Emotional Composite Temperaments Scale (2011), and Anger Rumination Scale (2001). Descriptive statistics were calculated to analyze the collected data in SPSS version 27, and a path analysis was performed using SmartPLS version 3 to test the study hypotheses. Results: The emotional temperaments of activation (β=0.21, p<0.01) and sensitivity (β=0.26, p<0.01) had direct positive effects on the symptoms of conduct disorder, whereas temperaments of control (β=-0.29, p<0.01), coping (β=-0.18, p<0.01), and inhibition (β=-0.11, p<0.01) had direct negative effects on these symptoms. The temperaments of activation (β=0.21, p<0.05), inhibition (β=0.11, p<0.01), and sensitivity (β=0.36, p<0.01) had direct positive effects on anger rumination, while the temperaments of control (β=-0.45, p<0.01) and coping (β=-0.28, p<0.05) had direct negative effects on this variable. The results pertaining to the indirect effects of temperaments also indicated that anger rumination mediated the relationship between emotional temperaments and symptoms of conduct disorder (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that the temperaments of activation and sensitivity were risk factors for conduct disorder, whereas the temperaments of control, coping, and inhibition were protective factors for it. Besides, anger rumination mediated the effects of emotional temperaments on conduct disorder.