Examining the Role of Emotion Regulation in Childhood Emotional Abuse and Adult Mental Health Outcomes

Childhood emotional abuse is a pervasive yet often overlooked form of maltreatment that significantly impacts psychological development and long-term mental health. Unlike physical or sexual abuse, emotional abuse does not leave visible scars but profoundly alters cognitive, emotional, and social functioning. One of the key pathways through which childhood emotional abuse influences adult well-being is emotion regulation, the ability to understand, manage, and respond to emotions in adaptive ways. Deficits in emotion regulation have been linked to increased psychological distress, including heightened vulnerability to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. This study explores the mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and adult mental health outcomes. Using an online survey with 81 participants aged 18–30, standardized measures assessed childhood trauma, emotion regulation difficulties, self-esteem, and psychological distress. Correlational and regression analyses revealed significant associations between emotion regulation, self-esteem, and psychological distress, suggesting that individuals with poor emotion regulation skills and lower self-esteem experience higher levels of distress. However, contrary to expectations, adverse childhood experiences (ACE) did not directly predict these outcomes, indicating that other psychological and social factors—such as resilience, coping strategies, and social support—may shape how individuals adapt to early emotional maltreatment. This underscores the importance of interventions aimed at strengthening emotion regulation and self-esteem as key protective mechanisms.