Maternal Attachment and Cognitive Distortion of Muslim Adolescents in Juvenile Rehabilitation Residential Schools: Self-Regulation as Mediating Mechanism

The increase in disorderly behavior at the adolescent stage is a major dilemma for Malaysian society as the number of criminal cases committed by Muslim adolescents is increasing. These unwanted behaviors may be triggered by the quality of attachment relationships and errors in terms of the adolescent's cognitive interpretation. The aim of the current study is to explore the relationship between maternal attachment (secure and insecure) and cognitive distortion of Muslim adolescents in juvenile rehabilitation residential schools mediated by self-regulation. Data from 440 Muslim adolescents (aged between 14 and 18) were examined using the structural equation model (AMOS). The finding indicated a significant positive relationship between secure maternal attachment and self-regulation as well as a relationship between insecure maternal attachment and cognitive distortion, while a significant negative relationship was found between self-regulation and cognitive distortion. Moreover, the indirect effect indicated that only the relationship between secure maternal attachment and cognitive distortion was completely mediated by self-regulation. This study suggests that secure maternal attachment was associated with higher self-regulation which in turn lowers cognitive distortion among Muslim adolescents. The results may facilitate improvement of mother-adolescent relationships and reduction of cognitive distortion among Muslim adolescents with the guidance of their self-regulation.