Objective: to investigate the mediator role of emotion dysregulation in the relationship between attachment styles and dark triad traits in adolescent females. No studies have yet investigated this effect, although emotion dysregulation individuals lose the ability to control behaviors and emotional responses and avoid positive methods when faced with challenges.
Methods: 650 third-grade secondary female students in Aswan governorate participated in this study, and the attachment styles scale, the dark triad traits scale, and the emotion dysregulation scale were used to verify the direct and indirect effects between the study variables.
Results: The indices of this overall model indicated that the specified set of direct and indirect pathways and corresponding correlations were a good fit with the (Chi-square = 18.105, p < .001, DF= 3, CMIN/DF= 6.035, CFI = .98). Moreover, tests of all of the possible indirect pathways between attachment style and dark triad traits were significant.
Discussion: Findings suggest that emotion dysregulation may be an important mechanism to consider when examining the association between attachment styles and dark triad traits in adolescent females. these results shed light on the important role that emotion dysregulation may have in predicting dark triad traits in adolescent females. The study recommends the need to pay attention to female adolescents and provide counseling and therapeutic programs to reduce the negative impact of emotion dysregulation and the dark triad traits of personality, in addition to educating their families about the seriousness of attachment styles and their negative impact on female adolescents.