Child anger regulation measure: Psychometric properties, prediction of emotional engagement, and gender differences

Abstract

AbstractThe objective of this study was to understand the psychometric functioning of the Child Anger Regulation Measure (CARM), its prediction of emotional engagement, and if the prediction of emotional engagement differs for girls and boys. The sample included 251 upper‐elementary school students in the United States (10% Black, 62% White, 6% Latinx, 5% Asian, 12% Multiethnic/Other; 58% female; average age = 9.7 years). Emotional engagement in school was reported by both students and teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated adequate fit of the data to the first‐order correlated theioretical model at two time points. Internal and test–retest reliability was moderate‐strong; the internal reliability of the anger withdraw strategy was weak for boys but adequate for girls. Of the five anger regulation latent predictors, the path analysis indicated that latent pause anger (i.e., waiting before responding to anger) was the strongest and sole predictor of how emotionally engaged a student felt in school, based on both student‐ and teacher‐reported engagement and controlling for other anger regulation (AR) strategies. There was partial measurement invariance across boys and girls, and there were no gender differences in AR prediction of emotional engagement. Implications for assessment, psychoeducation, and school contexts are discussed.