A - 42 Exploring Emotional Regulation Difficulties and Achievement-Oriented Parental Psychological Control as the Moderators of the Association between Academic Enablers and Academic Skills in Hispanic Adolescents

Abstract

Abstract Objective This study explored how emotional regulation difficulties and parental psychological control (achievement-oriented) moderate the association between academic enablers (motivation, engagement, study skills, interpersonal skills) and academic skills (reading, writing, mathematics, critical thinking). Method Responses from 157 adolescents (average age = 12, 63% Hispanic, 46% female) using the Academic Competence Evaluation Scales, the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale, and the Achievement-Oriented Psychological Control measure were analyzed using the PROCESS macro conditional analysis model 3 in R (Hayes, 2013). Results Results indicated that emotional regulation moderated the association between academic enablers and academic skills and that this moderation was further moderated by psychological control, F(7, 149) = 63.5, p < 0.00. Specifically, the academic enablers-skills association was stronger for adolescents experiencing higher emotional regulation difficulties and psychological control, Tb7 = 0.0046. Probing the interaction using a modified pick-a-point approach revealed that the conditional effect of the interaction between academic enablers and emotional regulation difficulties on academic skills was significant at the 84th percentile of psychological control, θXW → Y|(Z = 3.11) = 0.0076, p = 0.0075. Alternatively, probing the interaction using the Johnson-Neyman technique revealed that the conditional effect of the interaction between academic enablers and emotional regulation difficulties on academic skills was significant when parental psychological control was greater than or equal to 2.49. Conclusions The study highlights the importance of academic enablers in skill development, especially for adolescents who experience moderate to high emotional regulation difficulties and parental pressure to succeed. Targeted interventions to improve adolescents’ emotional regulation capabilities and lessen controlling parent–child dynamics could be crucial.