The mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies on the relationship between personality characteristics and psychological distress in siblings of children with cancer

Cancer is a chronic disease that may affect psychological functioning of all family members including siblings. Many factors such as personality characteristics and emotion regulation strategies may have a role in coping with stressful situations. The aim of the present study was to examine the mediator role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies on the relationship between personality characteristics psychological distress in a group of siblings of pediatric cancer children. A sample of 70 adolescent siblings (38 brothers, 36 sisters) referred to one of the 3 assigned hospitals have been selected through convenience sampling method. All participants were asked to complete Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), and psychological distress subscale of Mental Health Inventory (MHI). Method of the present descriptive study was correlational. Analysis of the data involved both descriptive and inferential statistics including means, standard deviations, correlation, and regression analysis. The results showed that personality characteristics of harm avoidance, persistence, self-directedness and cooperativeness as well as psychological distress were correlated with cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Regression analysis revealed that the relation between self-directedness and cooperativeness with psychological distress was mediated by cognitive emotion regulation strategies. It can be concluded that the relationship between personality characteristics and psychological distress is not a simple linear one. This is partly mediated by cognitive emotion regulation strategis. Investigating the reciprocal effect of emotion regulation strategis and personality characteristics provides researcher with a more precise explanation of the role each of which may has on behavior and mental health.