Exploring the Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation in the Link Between Childhood Trauma and Bullying Behavior Among Adolescents with Conduct Disorder Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study

Childhood Trauma (CT) is associated with a wide range of psychological disorders and behavioral problems that arise during adolescence and continue to affect individuals well into adulthood, according to extensive research. However, a critical gap in this literature is the limited exploration of mediating variables such as emotion regulation (ER) that may explain how these effects unfold. The study explored how ER might mediate the link between CT and bullying behavior (BB) in adolescents showing signs of conduct disorder (CD).This correlational survey targeted all adolescents aged 12 to 16 in Tehran who exhibited symptoms of CD during the 2024–2025 academic year, from whom a total of 300 participants were intentionally selected through purposive sampling. They completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) by Gross and John, the Youth Self-Report (YSR) by Achenbach and Rescorla, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) by Bernstein et al., and the BB Questionnaire (BVQ) by Olweus.The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling. The proposed model demonstrated a satisfactory fit, with CT significantly predicting BB both directly and indirectly through the mediating role of ER (P < 0.05). These results highlight the potential value of enhancing ER skills in adolescents affected by CT as a strategy to reduce BB among youth with CD symptoms.