Children's Emotion Regulation Research Articles

The Effectiveness of Improvisational Music Therapy on Emotion Regulation of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Randomised Controlled Trial

The Effectiveness of Improvisational Music Therapy on Emotion Regulation of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Randomised Controlled Trial

Supporting emotion regulation in children on the autism spectrum: co-developing a digital mental health application for school-based settings with community partners.

KeepCalm is a digital mental health application, co-designed with community partners, that incorporates wearable biosensing with support for teams to address challenging behaviors and emotion dysregulation in children on the autism spectrum. We followed a user-centered design framework. Before app development, we conducted design workshops, needs assessment interviews, a systematic review, and created an Expert Advisory Board. Once we had a working prototype, we recruited 73 participants to test and help improve the app across five testing cycles. Participants rated the app across testing cycles as highly acceptable, appropriate, feasible, and with good usability. Qualitative data indicated that KeepCalm helped teachers (a) be aware of students' previously unrealized triggers, especially for nonspeaking students; (b) prevent behavioral episodes; (c) communicate with parents about behaviors/strategies; and (d) equipped parents with knowledge of strategies to use at home. We learned that in order to make the app acceptable and appropriate we needed to make the app enjoyable/easy to use and to focus development on novel features that augment teachers' skills (e.g., behavioral pattern and stress detection). We also learned about the importance of maximizing feasibility, through in-person app training/support especially regarding the wearable devices, and the importance of having aides involved. Our findings have informed plans for wider-scale feasibility testing so that we may examine the determinants of implementation to inform adaptations and refinement, and gather preliminary efficacy data on KeepCalm's impact on reducing challenging behaviors and supporting emotion regulation in students on the autism spectrum.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the parental stress scale's psychometric properties.

Parental stress can affect the ability of parents to cope with the challenges of raising children. The result can be a negative cycle within the family dynamic, which in turn can interfere with children's development and emotional regulation. Among the many instruments available to assess parental stress, the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) deserves particular mention. To our knowledge, there are currently no systematic reviews evaluating the psychometric properties of the PSS. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the psychometric properties of the PSS using the COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) methodology and to conduct a meta-analysis. A thorough literature search was conducted from different databases. A meta-analysis to test the generalisability of PSS internal consistency across its component factors was performed. A total of 20 validation studies of the PSS were identified. Based on the COSMIN methodology, this instrument receives an 'A' rating, meaning that it is considered to be a cross-sectional instrument with the necessary scientific evidence for the assessment of the construct of parental stress. The meta-analysis testing the generalisability of its internal consistency yielded satisfactory results across the different factors. Future research should focus on those psychometric properties of the PSS that have not been studied as extensively, such as reproducibility, responsiveness, measurement error, and measurement invariance.

Parental attachment and emotion regulation in children: the mediating role of working memory

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of children's working memory levels in the relationship between attachment insecurity levels and emotion regulation skills. A total of 150 children aged 5 years, 75 girls and 75 boys, were selected by the stratified cluster sampling method and their mothers participated in the study. The data were collected using the Memory Battery for Preschool Children, Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory, Emotion Regulation Skills Scale and Coping with Child's Negative Emotions Scale. The findings indicate that the child's level of attachment insecurity to parents is directly associated with both emotion regulation skills and working memory capacity. Additionally, the study reveals that as the working memory levels of children increase, their emotion regulation skills also increase. The final finding of the study indicates that the child's working memory levels mediate the effect of attachment insecurity on emotion regulation skills. The results of this study indicate that children with insecure attachment should be given support to improve their working memory performance, to enhance their emotional regulation skills. This suggests that even in the context of attachment insecurity, the development of emotion regulation skills can be supported by fostering working memory development.

Actively changing the narrative: An exploration of culturally grounded parenting and social skills

AbstractRecognizing culturally salient aspects of socialization practices and understanding how these practices support culturally valued aspects of development is an integral component in conducting anti‐racist research and validating the lived experiences of minoritized families. With this aim, we explored how Active Direction, an observational rating of an African American approach to parenting measured during mother–child interactions at age 2.5 (n = 172), supported social skills and emotion regulation for children living in a Southwestern metropolitan area of the United States concurrently, in kindergarten (n = 109), and in 1st grade (n = 108). Descriptive findings indicated few significant associations between Active Direction and socials skills or emotion regulation. Exploratory analyses, which included traditional parenting behavior measures of Sensitivity and Intrusiveness, also indicated limited significant relations between any measure of parenting and child skills. However, moderation analyses indicated that high levels of Active Direction attenuated the effects of sensitivity on aspects of child social skills. The lack of significant findings across the current study highlight how extant measures—of child social skills and parentings behaviors—are not performing as expected within these African American families.

Unpacking the differences in social impact and social preference among Spanish preschool aggressors, victims, aggressor‐victims, and defenders whilst controlling for emotional competences

AbstractPeer status among preschool children has been associated with their roles in aggression‐related interactions. This study analyses the differences between aggressors, victims, aggressor‐victims and defenders on two measures of peer status (social impact and social preferences) whilst controlling for individual factors. The sample comprised 394 preschool children (184 girls, 210 boys) between the ages of 3–6 years old (M = 4.36, SD = 0.87) and their parents supplying information about socio‐demographic variables and children's emotion regulation. Teachers rated emotional competences for each child in their class. Analysis of covariance along with Bonferroni‐adjusted post‐hoc comparisons were conducted to compare mean scores between the aggression roles for social impact and social preference while controlling for significant individual factors. The results revealed that aggressors and aggressor‐victims exhibited higher social impact but lower social preference after controlling for individual factors. In contrast, defenders enjoyed higher social status among their peers, characterized by both higher social preference and social impact. Victims were associated with lower social preference and social impact. Uninvolved children consistently exhibited lower social impact. Results underscore the need for interventions that focus on promoting prosocial behaviors, addressing aggressive tendencies, and enhancing emotional competences to create a more positive and supportive peer environment.

A Study on Mother Empathy and Social Suppport Affecting on Emotional Regulation of Children with Adhd Symptoms

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of mother empathy and social support to emotional regulation children with ADHD symptoms. SPSS version 20.0 for Windows was used for data analysis to verify the relations and affects. Relations and regression test were conducted. The results of this study are summarized as follows. Mother empathy showed the highest positive correlation with social support and emotional regulation. In the relationship between mother empathy and emotional regulation, it was found that mother empathy directly affects emotional regulation. This study has significance in terms that it proved the effects of a mother empathy and social support to emotional regulation of children with ADHD symptoms.

Parent Facilitation of Child Emotion Regulation in ASD: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

Parents play a substantial role in their children's emotion regulation (ER) abilities. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulties regulating their emotions, which can manifest as externalizing behavioral issues. Parents of children with ASD facilitate their children's ER development in response to unique challenges and stressors, often developing resiliency but other times contributing to their children's dysregulation and behavioral challenges. It is unclear how much momentary stress attenuates parents' emotional facilitation of child ER and its effect on child behavioral functioning. Using an ecological momentary assessment approach, the current study explores this process by considering how parents of children with ASD facilitate child ER through (1) parent ER ability, (2) emotion socialization style, and (3) expressed emotion. Multilevel models explored the relative influences of parent ER facilitation on the association between momentary parent stress and behavioral intensity. Results suggest that parent ER abilities and specific emotion socialization styles interact with momentary parent stress and child behavior, whereas emotional climate of the home impacts child behavior more directly. The role of parent ER facilitation in the context of parent stress and children with ASD and behavioral problems is complex and multifaceted. Implications for further supporting children's emotional development via parent involvement are discussed.

A Study on Mother Empathy and Social Support Affecting Emotional Regulation of Children with ADHD Symptoms

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of mother empathy and social support to emotional regulation in children with ADHD symptoms. SPSS version 20.0 for Windows was used for data analysis to verify the relations and effects. Relations and regression tests were conducted. The results of this study are summarized as follows. Mother empathy showed the highest positive correlation with social support and emotional regulation. In the relationship between mother empathy and emotional regulation, it was found that mother empathy directly affects emotional regulation. This study has significance in terms of proving the effects of a mother's empathy and social support on the emotional regulation of children with ADHD symptoms.

Nonlinear associations between cardiovascular stress reactivity and emotional reactivity and emotion regulation among adolescents.

Cardiovascular stress reactivity (CVR) is considered as a physiological pathway linking emotional reactivity and emotion regulation with psychopathology. However, the associations between CVR and emotional reactivity and emotion regulation remain underexplored, with limited evidence showing that either excessive or blunted CVR is associated with emotional reactivity and emotional regulation. Recently, moderate CVR has been theoretically hypothesized to be related to optimal outcomes; however, whether CVR is nonlinearly associated with emotional reactivity and emotion regulation still needs to be investigated. Parents of 341 junior school students reported their children's emotional reactivity and emotion regulation on the Emotion Questionnaire, and the students were invited to participate in a mental arithmetic task with continuous cardiovascular monitoring indexed by heart rate (HR) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP). Results did not reveal any linear relationships between CVR and emotional reactivity or emotion regulation. However, quadratic associations between HR, SBP reactivity and emotional reactivity and emotion regulation were found even after controlling for sex, age and BMI. Specifically, there was a U-shaped association between HR, SBP reactivity, and emotional reactivity, while there was an inverted U-shaped association between HR, SBP reactivity, and emotion regulation. These findings suggest that moderate to high rather than exaggerated or blunted CVR reflects adaptive emotional reactivity and better emotion regulation among adolescents.

The Effect of Online Training of Competitive Domino and Cup Stacking Games on Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation and Executive Functions of Children

Background: Children's behavior inside the home indicates that playing digital games and engaging in social networks are more prevalent than studying and physical activity. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of online training of dominoes and cup stacking games on the metacognitive processes of children. Methods: Fifty-four fifth and sixth grade students were equally assigned into three groups of cup stacking, domino, and control. Twelve training sessions, 2 sessions per week for 45 minutes, were held online in the experimental groups. The participants filled in the Adolescent and Adult Mindfulness Scale (AAMS), Emotion Regulation for Children and Adolescent (ERQ-CA), and Children's Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function Questionnaire (BRIEF) before and after the training protocol. Results: MANCOVA showed that there was no significant difference between the cup stacking and domino groups in mindfulness. Cup stacking group on reappraisal strategy (emotion regulation), and dominoes on attention transfer, emotion control, and strategic planning (executive function) was significantly higher than other. The dominoes game, compared to the control group, had a significant impact on attention, non-judgment (mindfulness), reappraisal (emotion regulation), attention transfer, emotion control, and strategic planning (executive function). The cup stacking game, compared to the control group, had a significant effect on attention, and reappraisal. Conclusions: The findings emphasized the importance of the positive effect of online education, dominoes, and cup stacking games on certain metacognitive processes of children.

The impact of emotion regulation strategies on disordered eating behavior in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.

Difficulties in emotion regulation (DERs) can contribute to disordered eating behavior in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D), although it is unknown how DERs may affect eating behavior in these children and adolescents. This study examined the relationship between disordered eating behaviors and emotion regulation in children and adolescents with T1D. For this cross-sectional study, 128 patients (aged 8-16 years) were recruited to complete the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised (DEPS-R) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERs). The mean age of the 128 patients (99 females) who completed the DEPS-R was 11.63 ± 2.27 years. The participants' mean DEPS-R score was 17.78 ± 8.56 points. Of the total sample, 61 participants' scores surpassed the established threshold, resulting in a DEPS-R positivity rate of 47.66%. The participants' mean total DERS score was 72.3 ± 21.15 points, and it was found that children and adolescents with T1D who had a positive DEPS-R screening result had significant differences in emotional regulation and that eating behavior disorders were positively correlated with emotional regulation and all dimensions scores. The prevalence of disordered eating behavior is high among children and adolescents with T1D. DERs are related to disordered eating behavior in children and adolescents with T1D. The novel finding that DERs may be a predictor of eating problems lends preliminary support for the inclusion of DERs in future risk models and as a potential target for intervention.

Emotion socialization in early childhood education and care – How preschool teachers support children's emotion regulation

Children’s emotional experiences during early childhood education and care (ECEC) are important for children’s emotional development and the socialization of this development by teachers. One central goal of emotion socialization is that it should help children acquire reflective regulation of their emotions, resulting in socially acceptable and age-appropriate experience and behavior. The current study is based on emotionally challenging situations of children in ECEC and aims at investigating, first, associations of teachers’ emotion coaching and co-regulation with children’s self-regulation, and, second, how teachers’ emotion coaching and co-regulation are linked with characteristics of the specific emotion episode and the involved child. Based on extensive video observations in the preschool setting (N = 19 groups), this study analyzed episodes with teacher interventions (N = 48 teachers) following a negative emotion expression by one or two children (N = 213 children aged 2–6 years old). Multilevel results show, first, that teachers’ initial emotion coaching and co-regulation through meta-cognitive prompts were associated with children’s independent self-regulation. Second, teachers’ emotion coaching and co-regulation were systematically associated with characteristics of the emotion episode, especially emotion quality and intensity. The findings support the assumption that emotion coaching and co-regulation are especially valuable tools to support self-regulation. However, emotion coaching and the different co-regulation levels and strategies do not turn out to be universal strategies that are used indiscriminately, but teachers use them depending on individual child and situational characteristics.

"Trying to remain calm…but I do reach my limit sometimes": An exploration of the meaning of gentle parenting.

Raising young children has always been hard, but evidence suggests that it may be getting harder. The isolation of the pandemic, the pressures to fulfill exacting parenting standards, and the explosion of "expert" parenting advice on social media have fueled the rise of "gentle parenting," an approach that pivots away from older, discipline-heavy parenting typologies and which promises the development of happier, healthier children. Despite the popularity of gentle parenting, it has received no empirical scrutiny. The current study represents the first systematic investigation of what gentle parenting entails. Data were gathered from a sample (N = 100) of parents of at least one child between the ages of 2 and 7 from the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest. Approximately half (n = 49) of the sample identified as "gentle parents." Inductive analyses identified this approach as one that emphasizes high levels of parental affection and parents' and children's emotion regulation. Gentle parenting appears to be distinct from other established measures of parenting approaches in its emphasis on boundaries, yet the enactment of those boundaries is not uniform. Overall, gentle parents reported high levels of parenting satisfaction and efficacy, but a subset of gentle parents who were highly critical of themselves reported significantly lower levels of efficacy than the rest of the sample. Statements of parenting uncertainty and burnout were present in over one-third of the gentle parent sample. Implications are discussed for future research and increased support for those who identify as gentle parents.

The JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation) Intervention in Down Syndrome: A pilot study

BackgroundChildren with Down syndrome (DS) often need support building language, socialization, and regulation, yet few receive behavioral intervention for this. The Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation (JASPER) intervention holds promise as a clinician-caregiver-mediated approach. AimsThe aims of this pilot study were to (1) describe the behavioral phenotype of children with DS (2) quantify change in child engagement following JASPER receipt, (3) measure caregiver adoption of JASPER strategies, and (4) generate hypotheses and directions for future research. Methods and proceduresSixteen toddlers with DS and their caregivers enrolled in the study. Dyads were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: immediate intervention or waitlist control. During the COVID-19 pandemic, intervention was delivered remotely. Outcomes and resultsCaregivers learned to implement JASPER strategies and pilot data suggest improvements in joint engagement and regulation during play. Case series data show individual heterogeneity of intervention response. Remote intervention delivery may be associated with greater participant retention. Conclusions and implicationsJASPER may be a viable treatment option to improve joint engagement and emotion regulation in young children with DS. Parents appear receptive to learning and implementing JASPER strategies at home. Remote JASPER delivery may improve participation in research or treatment programs.

Daily-life reactivity and emotion regulation in children with social anxiety disorder

Prominent models of adult social anxiety disorder emphasize the role of hyperreactivity and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties. However, it is unclear whether these factors are relevant in childhood, a critical period for the development of this disorder. We used ecological momentary assessment with mobile phones to assess daily-life emotional reactivity and use and effectiveness of ER strategies in children aged 10–13 years. We compared three groups: Social anxiety disorder (n = 29), clinical controls with mixed anxiety disorders (n = 27) and healthy controls (n = 31). We also investigated long-term effects of ER on trait social anxiety 12 months later. Hierarchical linear modelling revealed higher emotional reactivity and more use of suppression in children with social anxiety disorder compared to clinical and healthy controls. Contrary to our expectations, children with social anxiety disorder reported more use of avoidance and reappraisal compared to clinical, but not healthy, controls. The groups did not differ in subjective effectiveness of ER strategies. Use of suppression, avoidance, and rumination each predicted an increase in social anxiety 12 months later. Taken together, our results extend previous findings from lab and questionnaire studies and illustrate the role of maladaptive ER for child social anxiety disorder.

Parent's use of coercive control practices with food is associated with poorer emotion regulation and increased emotional overeating in preschoolers

Emotional overeating is defined as eating in response to emotions. Around the preschool years, there is a shift from emotional undereating to overeating, which suggests environmental influences in the development of overeating. The use of food by parents to control their child's emotions, rather than to teach them appropriate emotion regulation strategies, may impact the child's ability to regulate their own emotions, resulting in emotional overeating. We hypothesized that such coercive control practices with food by parents would be associated with poorer ability of the child to regulate their own emotions, which in turn would lead to increased emotional overeating, but not emotional undereating. Mothers of four- and five-year-olds (N = 221) were recruited through MTurk and Prolific to complete online questionnaires measuring food parenting practices (Comprehensive Feeding Style Questionnaire and Parent Feeding Style Questionnaire), child emotion regulation (Emotion Regulation Checklist), and child emotional eating (Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire). Several mediation models were tested. Parent's use of food to control emotions and behavior was associated with higher levels of emotional overeating, which was mediated by poorer child emotion regulation. However, child emotion regulation did not mediate the association between parent's use of food to control emotions and behavior and the child's emotional undereating. Taken together, these models suggest that parent's use of coercive control with food may lead to child emotional overeating, but not emotional undereating, by teaching children to regulate their emotions through eating rather than more adaptive regulation strategies. Future experimental and longitudinal studies are needed to directly test the nature and direction of these associations and whether coercive control with food teaches children to overeat in response to their emotions in lieu of using appropriate emotion regulation strategies.

Pre-pandemic individual and household predictors of caregiver and child COVID-19-related stress in a high-risk sample

BackgroundMany families experienced increased stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and families recently investigated for child maltreatment may have been at particularly high risk. However, little research has focused on pre-pandemic individual and household predictors of COVID-19-related stress among such families who may have been especially vulnerable to the pandemic. ObjectiveThe present study prospectively examined pre-pandemic predictors of caregiver and child COVID-19-related stress in a sample of caregivers and children investigated for child maltreatment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. ParticipantsParticipants included children (N = 285), ages 8–13, and their caregivers (N = 246) investigated for child maltreatment prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsMultiple linear regression models were run to separately predict caregiver and child COVID-19-related stress from pre-pandemic household chaos, caregiver and child emotion regulation, caregiver psychological distress, and sociodemographic characteristics. FindingsBlack caregivers and children reported significantly more COVID-19-related stress than White caregivers and children (b = 2.27, p = 0.006 and b = 1.70, p = 0.013, respectively). Hispanic children reported more COVID-19-related stress than non-Hispanic children (b = 2.12, p < 0.001). Caregivers' pre-pandemic psychological distress also predicted their children's COVID-19-related stress (b = 1.80, p = 0.001). Household dysfunction and child and caregiver emotion regulation were unrelated to subsequent COVID-19-related stress (ps > 0.05). ConclusionsThere is a need to support minority families and address mental health concerns to prevent disparate outcomes in the face of stressors.

Mothers' Responses to Children's Emotions and Children's Behavior: The Mediating Role of Children's Emotion Regulation.

While prior research has clearly established links between maternal responses and children's emotion regulation (ER), the implications of these links for children's behaviors, especially at school (as reported by their teachers), remain much less explored. This study examined the mediating role of children's ER in the relationship between maternal reactions to both negative and positive emotions of children and the subsequent behaviors of these children at school. Participants included 56 Portuguese school-aged children (31 boys and 25 girls, aged 6-10 years, mean age = 8.27, SD = 1.27), their mothers (aged 26-55 years, mean age = 38.33, SD = 6.68), and their teachers (n = 7 female teachers) in a multi-informant study. Mothers provided reports on their responses to their children's emotions and their perceptions of the children's ER and lability/negativity, while teachers assessed the children's behavior in the classroom. The results indicated that punitive maternal reactions were associated with greater child lability/negativity, which in turn correlated with increased conduct problems and hyperactivity at school. Conversely, maternal encouragement of expression was linked to reduced lability/negativity, which was associated with fewer emotional symptoms at school. Additionally, maternal problem-focused reactions and guided/empowering responses were associated with reduced child lability/negativity, which in turn correlated with fewer conduct problems and less hyperactivity at school. These findings suggest that maternal responses to children's emotions can significantly influence children's behaviors in the classroom via mechanisms involving children's ER.

Influence of Group Active Play on Social Skill and Emotion Regulation in Children With Hearing Impairment

Influence of Group Active Play on Social Skill and Emotion Regulation in Children With Hearing Impairment