A systematic review of interventions aimed at improving emotional regulation in children, adolescents, and adults

Abstract

There are a wide range of interventions designed to target emotional regulation, but there has yet to be a holistic examination of their comparable effectiveness. The aim of this review was to map the landscape of interventions targeting emotional regulation difficulties and identify their effectiveness and the methodologies employed. Controlled studies examining the impact of interventions targeting emotion regulation in children and adults were included in the review. This review demonstrated that there was considerable heterogeneity in the conceptualisation of emotional regulation, the characteristics and mental health problems of the participants, the measures used, and the duration of follow-up assessment (where one was reported). In addition, the emotional regulation interventions used in the studies were adapted in many cases. Together, this heterogeneity makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions about the specific circumstances where emotional regulation interventions will be more effective than alternatives and precluded a meta-analysis of the included papers. Clinicians and researchers should examine the relevant literature closely when selecting interventions and measures for research and practice to ensure that these are appropriate for the aims and intended outcomes of their work.