Journal of Childhood

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Atabi H, Tahmasebi pour N, Babazadeh M H. (2026). Predicting Self-Control and Self-Regulation Based on Moral Intelligence in Female Adolescents. Journal of Childhood Health and Education. 6(4), 582-595. doi:10.32598/JECHE.6.4.381.2
URL: http://jeche.ir/article-1-348-en.html

Background and Aim Adolescence is a sensitive and crucial period for the development of self-control and self-regulation capacities, where moral intelligence can act as a key factor influencing adolescents’ developmental trajectory. The aim of the present study was to predict self-control and self-regulation based on moral intelligence in adolescent girls.
Research Methods The present study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational and predictive in nature. The statistical population consisted of all ninth-grade female students in Tehran’s first-level secondary schools in the 2023-2024 academic year. The sample size was calculated as 335 individuals based on Kline’s criterion, and the sample was selected using multi-stage random cluster sampling. The Moral Intelligence Questionnaire by Lennick and Kiel (2005), the Self-Regulation Questionnaire by Bouffard (1995), and the Self-Control Questionnaire by Tangney (2004) were used for data collection. Before data analysis, the assumptions of normal distribution of data were examined using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 27. Descriptive statistics, as well as simultaneous and multivariate regression analyses through the stepwise method, were applied.
Results Moral intelligence positively and significantly predicted 15% of the variance in self-control and 6% of the variance in self-regulation. Additionally, moral intelligence was found to predict 21% of the combined variance in self-regulation and self-control among adolescents. 
Conclusion In summary, the results showed that moral intelligence plays a significant role in the self-control and self-regulation of adolescent girls. Paying attention to moral dimensions alongside cognitive and emotional factors can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms affecting self-control and self-regulation.