New approaches in education and health sciences management

New approaches in education and health sciences management

Developing a Structural Model of Motor Control Based on Behavioral Inhibition with the Mediating Role of Emotional Self-Regulation in Students with Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Atiyeh Bakhshi 1
Ayat SadatTalab 2
Alireza Mollazadeh 3
1 Department of Clinical and Educational Psychology, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Foreign Language Education, Faculty of Humanities, Salman Farsi University of Kazerun, Kazerun, Iran
3 Department Psychology, Ash.C., Islamic Azad University, Ashtian, Iran
10.22034/edus.2026.585649.1110
Abstract
Background and Objective: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with difficulties in behavioral inhibition, emotion regulation, and motor control, which may adversely affect children's academic and social functioning. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a structural model of motor control based on behavioral inhibition with the mediating role of emotional self-regulation in students with symptoms of ADHD.
Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of male students aged 8–12 years with symptoms of ADHD in Chalus, Iran. A total of 209 students were selected as the sample after screening through the Conners Parent Rating Scale and Conners Teacher Rating Scale. The research instruments included the Conners Parent Rating Scale (1998), the Conners Teacher Rating Scale (1998), the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (1978), Hoffmann’s Behavioral Inhibition Test (1984), and Gross’s Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (2003). Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling.
Results: The results of the structural model fit indicated that the proposed model of motor control based on behavioral inhibition, with the mediating role of emotional self-regulation in students with symptoms of ADHD, demonstrated a satisfactory fit to the empirical data. The direct effects were significant: behavioral inhibition on emotional self-regulation (β = 0.64, p < 0.0005), behavioral inhibition on motor control (β = -0.39, p < 0.0005), and emotional self-regulation on motor control . Furthermore, indirect effects assessed through the bootstrap method were confirmed. The mediating role of emotional self-regulation in the relationship between behavioral inhibition and motor control was found to be statistically significant.
Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that behavioral inhibition is a fundamental factor influencing motor control in students with symptoms of ADHD. This effect is exerted not only directly but also indirectly through emotional self-regulation.
Keywords
Motor Control
Behavioral Inhibition
Emotional Self-Regulation
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Ethics Approval ID: IR.IAU.CTB.REC.1404.114

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New approaches in education and health sciences management
Volume 3, Issue 1
April 2026
Spring 2026
Pages 35-44

  • Receive Date 05 October 2025
  • Revise Date 03 November 2025
  • Accept Date 11 January 2026