مطالعه کیفی تجربه شرم هیجانی در نوجوانان دارای تعارض خانوادگی

مهدیس سرلک‌پور; پوریا درویشی

Authors

Mahdis Sarlakpour Department of Family Counseling, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran Author
Pouria Darvishi Department of Clinical Psychology, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

Keywords:

emotional shame, adolescents, family conflict, thematic analysis, emotion regulation, parent–adolescent relationships

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the experience of emotional shame among adolescents with family conflict and to identify the main themes shaping this experience within parent–adolescent relationships. This qualitative study used a thematic analysis approach. Participants were 19 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years living in Tehran who reported repeated family conflict and difficulty expressing negative emotions. Purposive sampling was used to ensure variation in gender, age, educational status, and family structure, and recruitment continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected only through individual semi-structured interviews. After obtaining parental informed consent and adolescent assent, interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and organized using NVivo software. Data analysis followed the phases of familiarization, initial coding, theme development, theme review, theme definition and naming, and report writing. The analysis yielded five main themes: “self-blame and feeling defective,” “emotional concealment and defensive silence,” “relational shame within criticism and family comparison,” “the spread of shame into the body, school, and peer relationships,” and “maladaptive reparative strategies, including distancing, over-control, and approval seeking.” The findings indicated that emotional shame among adolescents with family conflict is not merely a transient emotional reaction, but a persistent experience of negative visibility, worthlessness, fear of exposure, and inability to communicate emotional needs. The findings suggest that family conflict may contribute to adolescents’ emotional shame through repeated criticism, unsafe emotional communication, invalidation of feelings, and family-based comparisons. Therefore, family-centered interventions focused on emotional validation, reduction of criticism, safe dialogue, and self-compassion may help reduce emotional shame and improve adolescent mental health.

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