Abstract
The present study aimed to examine the predictive role of spiritual intelligence and emotion regulation in reducing behavioral problems among children aged 7 to 10 years. Methodologically, this research was applied in purpose and descriptive-correlational in design. The statistical population included all children aged 7 to 10 and their parents residing in Tehran. Using a multistage cluster sampling method and the Tabachnick and Fidell formula, a sample of 300 participants was selected. Data were collected using King’s Spiritual Intelligence Scale (2008), the Children’s Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire by Garnefski et al. (2007), and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist – Parent Version (1991). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis, and ANOVA) were used to analyze the data.
The findings revealed significant negative correlations between spiritual intelligence and adaptive emotion regulation with behavioral problems, while a significant positive correlation was found between maladaptive emotion regulation and behavioral problems (p < .001). Regression coefficients indicated that all three predictor variables significantly contributed to explaining behavioral problems, with spiritual intelligence demonstrating the strongest predictive power among them. ANOVA results confirmed the statistical significance of the overall regression model, suggesting that the combination of predictor variables accounts for a considerable portion of the variance in behavioral problems. Overall, the findings underscore the critical role of spiritual intelligence and emotion regulation in reducing behavioral issues among children.