Machiavellianism, Expressive Suppression and Internalizing Behaviors of Adolescents in Ucsi International School

Abstract

The current study examines the associations of Machiavellianism (Mach) and Expressive Suppression (ES) as explanations for internalizing behaviors. This study aimed to examine Mach in adolescents with internalizing behaviors, and to explore the mediating role of ES in the relation between Mach and internalizing behaviors. Youth Self Report (YSR), Mach-IV scale alongside with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA) was administered to 104 adolescents in UCSI International University with the age range of 13-18. Pearson correlation coefficients as well as standard mediational analysis was executed to test the stated hypothesis. It was concluded that Mach was positively correlated with internalizing behaviors in adolescents attending UCSI International University. It was drawn that ES partially mediates the indirect relationship between Mach and anxious/depressive symptoms while it fully mediates the relationship between Mach and Depressed/Withdrawn.