Children's Emotion Regulation Research Articles

Grandmother-grandchild physiological synchrony in Chinese three-generation families: Links with child emotion regulation.

The current study examined the characteristics of physiological synchrony between grandmothers and grandchildren in Chinese three-generation families, and the associations between physiological synchrony and child emotion regulation. The participants included 92 children (age 8-10-year old) and their grandmothers. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was collected from both grandmothers and their grandchildren throughout a collaborative drawing task and a conflict discussion task. Child emotion regulation was measured using the Children's Emotional Management Scale. We found no evidence for an overall pattern of concordant or discordant synchrony within dyads. Instead, there was great variability in patterns of synchrony across dyads. During the collaborative drawing task, concordance in grandmother's RSA and grandchildren's subsequent RSA was linked with better emotion regulation. During the conflict discussion, concordance in grandmother's RSA and grandchildren's simultaneous RSA was linked with poorer emotion regulation. These results suggest that grandmother-grandchild synchrony in different directions, time lags, and contexts has different influences on children's emotion regulation. The findings of this study highlight the importance of contextual physiological co-regulation between Chinese children and their grandmothers for children's social-emotional development.

A Narrative Review of the Efficacy of Interventions for Emotional Dysregulation, and Underlying Bio–Psycho–Social Factors

In this narrative, comprehensive, and updated review of the literature, we summarize evidence about the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing emotion dysregulation and improving emotion regulation in children, adolescents, and adults. After introducing emotion dysregulation and emotion regulation from a theoretical standpoint, we discuss the factors commonly associated with emotion regulation, including neurobiological and neuropsychological mechanisms, and the role of childhood adverse experiences and psycho–social factors in the onset of emotion dysregulation. We then present evidence about pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions aiming at improving emotion dysregulation and promoting emotion regulation across the lifespan. Although our review was not intended as a traditional systematic review, and the search was only restricted to systematic reviews and meta-analyses, we highlighted important implications and provided recommendations for clinical practice and future research in this field.

Understanding emotion dysregulation from infancy to toddlerhood with a multilevel perspective: The buffering effect of maternal sensitivity.

Challenges with childhood emotion regulation may have origins in infancy and forecast later social and cognitive developmental delays, academic difficulties, and psychopathology. This study tested whether markers of emotion dysregulation in infancy predict emotion dysregulation in toddlerhood, and whether those associations depended on maternal sensitivity. When children (N = 111) were 7 months, baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), RSA withdrawal, and distress were collected during the Still Face Paradigm (SFP). Mothers' reports of infant regulation and orientation and maternal sensitivity were also collected at that time. Mothers' reports of toddlers' dysregulation were collected at 18 months. A set of hierarchical regressions indicated that low baseline RSA and less change in RSA from baseline to stressor predicted greater dysregulation at 18 months, but only for infants who experienced low maternal sensitivity. Baseline RSA and RSA withdrawal were not significantly associated with later dysregulation for infants with highly sensitive mothers. Infants who exhibited low distress during the SFP and who had lower regulatory and orienting abilities at 7 months had higher dysregulation at 18 months regardless of maternal sensitivity. Altogether, these results suggest that risk for dysregulation in toddlerhood has biobehavioral origins in infancy but may be buffered by sensitive caregiving.

The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Emotion Regulation, Behavioral Symptoms, and Academic Performance of Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Background: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently struggle with emotional regulation, behavioral issues, and academic performance, leading to peer rejection and social isolation. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on emotion regulation, behavioral symptoms, and academic performance of children with ADHD. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pretest-posttest design. The study population consisted of all primary school students with ADHD aged 7 - 11, as well as their mothers, in Amol in 2021. A purposive sample of 30 individuals was selected for the study. Participants were assigned to either the ACT training group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15) through a simple random allocation. The participants in the study filled out questionnaires on emotion regulation, children's behavioral symptoms, and academic performance. The data was analyzed using an analysis of covariance. Results: In the pretest phase, the scores for adaptive emotion regulation strategies, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, behavioral symptoms, and academic performance were 43.07 ± 6.05, 65.13 ± 9.27, 91.20 ± 12.58, and 128.47 ± 29.84, respectively; whereas in the posttest phase, they were 61.20 ± 8.01, 52.00 ± 6.00, 67.13 ± 12.73, and 159.73 ± 21.11, respectively. Acceptance and commitment therapy resulted in enhanced emotion regulation strategies and academic performance, as well as a decrease in behavioral symptoms in children with ADHD (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Given the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy training in emotion regulation, behavioral symptoms, and academic performance, this approach may be employed by counselors and psychologists at counseling and psychotherapy centers to help remedy ADHD.

Emotions or cognitions first? Longitudinal relations between executive functions and emotion regulation in childhood.

Executive functions and emotion regulation develop from early childhood to adolescence and are predictive of important psychosocial outcomes. However, despite the correlation between the two regulatory capacities, whether they are prospectively related in school-aged children remains unknown, and the direction of effects is uncertain. In this study, a sample drawn from two birth cohorts in Norway was biennially examined between the ages of 6 and 14 (n = 852, 50.1% girls, 93% Norwegian). Parents completed the Emotion Regulation Checklist, and teachers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model revealed that improved emotion regulation predicted increased executive functioning to the same extent throughout development, whereas enhanced executive functioning was unrelated to future changes in emotion regulation.

Sibling bullying and mental health in British and Turkish autistic children and adolescents: The role of social and emotional functioning

Nearly one in two autistic individuals is involved in sibling bullying, which is linked to increased mental health difficulties. Despite its high prevalence, only a handful of studies have focused on the relationship between sibling bullying and mental health in the autistic population. Of these, a vast majority of evidence comes from Western cultures while little is known about non-western cultures. For the first time, the current study investigated the cross-cultural variability in the prevalence and demographic and mental health correlates of sibling bullying between a Western (the United Kingdom) and non-western (Turkey) country. Parents of British (N = 289) and Turkish (N = 171) autistic individuals, aged 9–20 years, completed online questionnaires. Structural equation models were fitted to test the risk factors for behavioural and mental health correlates of sibling bullying. Overall, sibling bullying was highly prevalent in the lives of both British and Turkish autistic adolescents as more than two-thirds either bullied a sibling or were bullied by a sibling every week. While some potential risk factors for sibling bullying were present in both cultures (e.g., past sibling bullying experiences), some were culture-specific (e.g., having a male sibling (British), higher parental education (Turkish)). Consistent with previous reports, higher rates of sibling bullying were significantly correlated with poorer mental health in both British and Turkish samples. Additionally, sibling bullying was indirectly linked to mental health difficulties through detrimental social behaviours (British and Turkish) and emotion regulation (British-only) in autistic children and adolescents. There were no indirect correlations between sibling bullying and mental health through social skills in either sample. Implications of these findings as well as cross-cultural similarities and differences are discussed in more detail in light of the relevant cross-cultural psychological theory.

유아의 정서조절과 또래유능성 간의 관계에서 문제행동의 병렬다중매개효과

The purpose of this study is to analyze the parallel multiple mediating effect of problem behavior in the relationship between Young children‘s emotional regulation and peer competence in children. The subjects of this study were infants aged 3 to 5 staying at a kindergarten and daycare center located in G city, and 217 copies of the questionnaire were analyzed. For the collected data, SPSS 26.0 and PROCESS macro 4.3 programs were used, and the following research results were derived. First, Young childre’s emotional regulation had a positive effect on peer competence. Second, Young Children’s emotional regulation had a negative effect on problem behavior. Third, among the sub-contents of Young children's problem behavior, only hostility-aggression and hyperactivity- attention had a negative effect on peer competence. However, among Young children's problem behavior, anxiety-fear did not affect peer competence. Fourth, in the relationship between Young children's emotional regulation and peer competence, only the sub-contents of Young children's problem behavior, hostility-aggression and hyperactivity-attention, were found to have a partial mediating effect. However, in the relationship between Young children's emotional regulation and peer competence, anxiety-fear did not show a mediating effect among the sub-contents of Young children's problem behavior. These results suggest that in order to increase a child's peer competence, it is necessary to carefully observe situations in which hostile-aggression, hyperactivity-attention, and anxiety-fear, which are sub-contents of the Young childrens’ Problem behavior, recognize that it is a Problem behavior, and then provide desirable guidance.

A context-dependent perspective to understand the relation between parent-child physiological synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment.

Physiological synchrony is an important biological process during which parent-child interaction plays a significant role in shaping child socioemotional adjustment. The present study held a context-dependent perspective to examine the conditional association between parent-child physiological synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment (i.e., relationship quality with parents and child emotion regulation) under different (i.e., from highly unsupportive to highly supportive) emotional contexts. One hundred and fifty school-age Chinese children (Mage=8.64 years, 63 girls) and their primary caregivers participated in this study. After attaching electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes, parent-child dyads were instructed to complete a 4-minute conflict discussion task. Parent-child physiological synchrony was calculated based on the within-dyad association between parents' and children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) levels across eight 30-secondepochs. Parental emotional support, child relationship quality with parents, and child emotion regulation during the discussion task were coded by trained research assistants. Supporting our hypotheses, parental emotional support moderated the relations of parent-child RSA synchrony with both child relationship quality with parents and child emotion regulation. Furthermore, the Johnson-Neyman technique of moderation indicated that the associations between parent and child RSA synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment indicators shifted from negative to positive as the parental emotional support became increasingly high. Our findings suggest that parent-child physiological synchrony may not be inherently adaptive or maladaptive, highlighting the importance of understanding the function of parent-child physiological synchrony under specific contexts. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Physiological synchrony may not be inherently adaptive or maladaptive, and the meanings of parent-child physiological synchrony might be contingent on contextual factors. Parental emotional support moderated the relations between parent-child respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) synchrony and child socioemotional adjustment indicators (i.e., child relationship quality with parents and child emotion regulation). More positive/less negative parent-child RSA synchrony was associated with better child socioemotional adjustment under a supportive emotional context, whereas with poorer child socioemotional adjustment under an unsupportive emotional context. These findings highlight the significance of considering the emotional context in physiological synchrony studies.

Understanding the Impact of Parent-Child Relationships on Emotion Regulation: A Comprehensive Review

This paper explores the impact of parenting on adolescents' self-regulation, emphasizing the importance of parental socialization in shaping individuals' beliefs, worldviews, and behaviors. It highlights that effective emotion regulation in children is associated with parents' emotional support, positive affect, emotion coaching, and joint strategies. Conversely, difficulties in emotion regulation in adolescents are linked to parents' psychological control, permissiveness, expressed anger, and criticism. Furthermore, the study reveals that adolescents experience more positive affect when in the presence of their parents compared to when they are alone, indicating ongoing parental influence on emotion regulation throughout adolescence. Consequently, the paper underscores the need for practitioners working with parents and families to develop intervention and prevention efforts targeting three primary ways parents impact emotion regulation: modeling/observation, specific parenting practices related to emotion, and families' emotional climate. These efforts should focus on enhancing parents' emotion-regulation skills and teaching emotion-coaching techniques that emphasize warmth, responsiveness, and setting limits. Keywords: Parent-Child Relationships, Emotion Regulation, Adolescents, Parenting Practices, Intervention

The contribution of Sensory Processing Sensitivity and internalized attachment representations on emotion regulation competencies in school-age children.

As captured by the individual trait of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS), highly sensitive children perceive, process, and responds more strongly to stimuli. This increased sensitivity may make more demanding the process of regulating and managing emotions. Yet, developmental psychology literature also showed that other variables, as those related to the rearing environment, are likely to contribute to the process of regulating emotions. With the current contribution, we aim to bridge two lines of research, that of attachment studies and that of SPS, by investigating the additive and interactive contribution of SPS and internal working models of attachment representations on emotion regulation competencies in school-aged children. Participants were N = 118 Italian children (mean age: 6.5, SD = 0.58 years, and 51.8% female) with their mothers. Children's positive attachment representations were rated observationally through the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task procedure during an individual session at school. Mothers reported on children SPS trait and emotion regulation competencies completing the Highly Sensitive Child Scale-parent report and the Emotion Regulation Checklist. We performed and compared a series of main and interaction effect models. SPS was not directly associated with emotion regulation but it was significantly associated with positive attachment representations in predicting emotion regulation. Highly sensitive children showed poorer emotion regulation when the internalized representations were low in maternal warmth and responsiveness. When driven by sensitive and empathic attachment representation, highly sensitive children showed better emotion regulation than less-sensitive peers, suggesting a for better and for worse effect. Highly sensitive children are not only more vulnerable to adversities but also show better emotion regulation competencies when supported by positive internal working models of attachment relationships. Overall, findings shed light on the link between SPS and attachment and suggest that working for promoting secure attachment relationships in parent-child dyads may promote better emotion regulation competences, particularly in highly sensitive children.

Investigation of the Impact of Positive and Negative Parenting on Pre-school and School-aged Children’s Emotion Regulation

Parenting plays a crucial role in child development. Emotion Regulation (ER) is considered as an important ability during development since it is tightly associated with children’s future social competence and also their external and internal behaviors. This research investigation explores the profound impact of positive and negative parenting on pre-school and school age children's ER. The essay finds positive parenting, characterized by warmth, support, and consistent discipline, emerges as a crucial factor in nurturing healthier emotion regulation in pre-school children. These children exhibit greater emotional awareness and competence, fostering overall well-being and improved social interactions. Conversely, negative parenting, marked by harsh discipline and emotional neglect, obstructs emotional growth, leading to emotional dysregulation and behavioral challenges. Additionally, this paper delves into the nuances of the influence exerted by fathers and mothers on children's emotion regulation. While both parental figures play vital roles in a child's emotional development, their impact can vary due to unique parenting styles and interactions. In conclusion, this research underscores the pivotal role of positive parenting practices in cultivating robust emotion regulation skills in pre-school children. It emphasizes the necessity for parents to establish nurturing and supportive environments conducive to emotional growth and the importance of recognizing the distinct roles of fathers and mothers in shaping children's emotional development. Ultimately, comprehending the dynamics of parenting and their implications on children's emotional regulation is vital for creating a positive and nurturing environment that promotes children's well-being and emotional resilience.

Maternal alcohol dependence symptoms, maternal insensitivity to children's distress, and young children's blunted emotional reactivity.

Maternal insensitivity to children's emotional distress (e.g., expressions of sadness or fearfulness) is one mechanism through which maternal alcohol dependence may increase children's risk for psychopathology. Although emotion dysregulation is consistently associated with psychopathology, it remains unclear how or why alcohol dependence's effects on caregiving responses to children's distress may impact children's emotion regulation over time, particularly in ways that may engender risks for psychopathology. This study examined longitudinal associations between lifetime maternal alcohol dependence symptoms, mothers' insensitivity to children's emotional distress cues, and children's emotional reactivity among 201 mother-child dyads (Mchild age = 2.14 years; 56% Black; 11% Latino). Structural equation modeling analyses revealed a significant mediational pathway such that maternal alcohol dependence predicted increases in mothers' insensitivity to children's emotional distress across a one-year period (β = .16, p = .013), which subsequently predicted decreases in children's emotional reactivity one year later (β = -.29, p = .009). Results suggest that mothers with alcohol dependence symptoms may struggle to sensitively respond to children's emotional distress, which may prompt children to suppress or hide their emotions as an adaptive, protective strategy. The potential developmental benefits and consequences of early, protective expressive suppression strategies are discussed via developmental psychopathology frameworks.

The association between family functioning and problem behaviors among Chinese preschool left-behind children: the chain mediating effect of emotion regulation and psychological resilience.

The family environment has a significant impact on the psychological and behavioral development of children, especially those who are left behind in preschool and experience parent-child separation at a young age. These children face a greater risk of family dysfunction, which can lead to internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. While numerous studies have established a connection between family functioning and problem behaviors, few have explored the underlying mechanisms driving this relationship. Our study seeks to address this gap by examining how emotion regulation and psychological resilience mediate the link between family functioning and problem behavior. The sample consisted of 940 preschool children (51.5% male, 48.5% female) with a mean age of 5.07 ± 0.80. The main guardians of the children were given the Family Assessment Device, Preschool Children's Emotion Regulation Scale, the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for Preschoolers (2nd edition), and the Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales to assess their family functioning, emotion regulation, psychological resilience, and problem behavior respectively. Lower family functioning was associated with more severe problem behaviors in preschool left-behind children, and emotion regulation and psychological resilience partially mediated the relationship between family functioning and problem behaviors, respectively. In addition, emotion regulation and psychological resilience were also chain mediators between family functioning and problem behaviors. The study's findings highlighted the crucial role of emotional regulation and psychological resilience in the correlation between family functioning and problem behaviors. It is recommended that policymakers and educators place a high priority on the cultivation of internal psychological resources, such as emotional regulation and resilience, in preschool-aged children when designing interventions to address problem behaviors.

Prenatal tobacco, tobacco-cannabis coexposure, and child emotion regulation: The role of child autonomic functioning and sensitive parenting.

Prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) and tobacco-cannabis coexposure (PTCE) co-occur with negative maternal emotional functioning (termed prenatal risks) and together increase risk for child regulatory problems at early school age (ESA). Little is known about developmental processes in early childhood that may mediate this association. We examined two hypothesized mediational processes linking prenatal risks to ESA emotion regulation (ER) and lability-negativity; parasympathetic functioning at toddler age and chronic risk reflected by continued postnatal maternal negative emotional functioning (i.e., depression, anger/hostility, and emotion dysregulation) and substance exposure. Congruent with differential susceptibility theory, we examined interactions between sensitive parenting and toddler parasympathetic functioning predicting ESA ER. Finally, we explored the role of child sex as a moderator. Mothers (N = 247; 53% male infants; 51% Black, 31% White, 19% Hispanic, and 8% other or mixed race) were recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy into one of three groups: PTE (n = 81), PTCE (n = 97), and no substance exposure (n = 69) matched on age and education. Substance exposure was assessed using multiple methods, maternal negative emotional functioning via self-reports, parenting with observations, and child ER using teacher, maternal, and lab assessor reports. Results supported a chronic risk pathway with less support for a parasympathetic pathway. Toddlers who demonstrated respiratory sinus arrhythmia withdrawal to frustration were susceptible to the positive context of sensitive parenting in predicting higher ER. Results emphasize the importance of chronicity of postnatal risks including substance exposure and evaluating the differential impact of positive environments for children with substance exposure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Prenatal Tobacco, Tobacco–Cannabis Coexposure, and Child Emotion Regulation: The Role of Child Autonomic Functioning and Sensitive Parenting

Supplemental Material for Prenatal Tobacco, Tobacco–Cannabis Coexposure, and Child Emotion Regulation: The Role of Child Autonomic Functioning and Sensitive Parenting

Exploration the mediating role of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between anxiety sensitivity, neuroticism, dysfunctional attitudes towards sleep, and sleep quality among adolescents

Introduction: While a variety of emotional, personality, cognitive, and behavioral factors are linked to sleep quality during adolescence, a comprehensive understanding of these factors remains elusive. Aim: The present study aimed to explore the mediating role of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between anxiety sensitivity, neuroticism, dysfunctional attitudes towards sleep, and sleep quality among second-year high school adolescents. Method: The statistical population of this correlational study, which employed structural equation modeling, consisted of all second-year high school students (boys and girls) in Damghan, Iran, during the 2020-2021 academic year. A sample of 329 adolescents was selected through a multi-stage cluster sampling method. To measure the variables under study, the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (1993), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (1986), the Children's Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (2003), and the Sleep Quality Questionnaire (1989) were administered. The collected data was analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient test and structural equation modeling in SPSS-22 and AMOS-24. Results: The present results indicated the good fit of the research model for the data. Both adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies were found to mediate the relationship between the sleep quality of adolescents and anxiety sensitivity, neuroticism, and dysfunctional attitudes and beliefs about sleep (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the findings, neuroticism, anxiety sensitivity, and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies are linked to a poor sleep quality. Conversely, adaptive emotion regulation strategies are associated with a higher sleep quality. Emotion regulation strategies were found to mediate the relationship between sleep quality and factors, such as anxiety sensitivity, neuroticism, and dysfunctional attitudes and beliefs about sleep. Mental health professionals are advised to consider the components examined in this study as they can play a crucial role in enhancing the sleep quality of adolscentse.

Connections between Parental Phubbing and Electronic Media Use in Young Children: The Mediating Role of Parent-Child Conflict and Moderating Effect of Child Emotion Regulation.

In this digital age, where parental attention is often diverted by digital engagement, the phenomenon of "parental phubbing," defined as parents ignoring their children in favor of mobile devices, is scrutinized for its potential impact on child development. This study, utilizing questionnaire data from 612 parents and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with moderated mediation, examines the potential association between parental phubbing and young children's electronic media use. The findings revealed a correlation between parental phubbing and increased electronic media use in children. Parent-child conflict, informed by instances of parental phubbing, was identified as a partial mediator in this relation. Notably, children's emotion regulation emerged as a moderating factor, with adept regulation linked to reduced adverse effects of parental phubbing and improved relational harmony. These findings underscore the importance of parental awareness of their digital behaviors and the benefits of fostering robust parent-child relationships and supporting children's emotional regulation to nurture well-adjusted "digital citizens" in the contemporary media landscape.

The effects of working memory training on attention deficit, adaptive and non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation of Chinese children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) poses cognitive and emotional challenges for Chinese children. This study addresses the potential benefits of Working Memory Training for ADHD-affected children. Understanding its impact on Attention, cognitive regulation, and emotional responses is crucial for tailored interventions in the Chinese context. The Trial Registration Number (TRN) for this study is [TRN-2023-123,456], and it was officially registered on July 15, 2023, by Changchun Normal University. This study investigated how Working Memory training influences Attention, adaptive cognitive regulation, and non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation in Chinese children with ADHD. It also assessed changes in attentional focus, improvements in adaptive cognitive regulation, and alterations in non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. This quasi-experimental study aimed to assess the impact of working memory training on Chinese children with ADHD. Using pretest-posttest measures, 120 female students underwent Cogmed software training, targeting attention deficits and cognitive emotion regulation. Three reliable instruments measured outcomes. The procedure involved informed consent, questionnaires, 25 training sessions, and a two-month follow-up. Statistical analyses, including repeated measures ANOVA, assessed training effects. ANOVA revealed a significant impact of Working memory training on attention deficit. Repeated measures ANOVA for cognitive emotion regulation indicated positive changes in adaptive and non-adaptive strategies over time, with sustained improvements in self-blame, rumination, catastrophizing, and blaming others. Bonferroni follow-up tests showed significant differences between pre-test, post-test, and follow-up, favoring the post-test and follow-up tests. In summary, this research sheds light on the positive impact of memory training on Attention and cognitive emotion regulation in children with ADHD. The study underscores the potential of working memory interventions, particularly software-focused approaches, in enhancing attention levels and improving cognitive emotion regulation. The findings align with existing literature emphasizing the role of working memory deficits in ADHD. Practically, incorporating memory training interventions into educational settings emerges as a viable strategy to support children with ADHD. This includes integrating memory training programs into both classroom activities and home-based interventions. Additionally, sustained implementation and long-term follow-up assessments are crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of memory training interventions. Tailoring interventions to specific ADHD subtypes and seamlessly integrating memory training activities into daily routines offer practical and personalized solutions for managing ADHD symptoms in diverse settings.

An Interoception- Based Intervention for Improving Emotional Regulation in Children in a Special Education Classroom: Feasibility Study

Interoception supports the ability to notice, interpret, and react to internal sensations and impacts emotional regulation and participation in meaningful activities. This study aimed to expand evidence regarding the efficacy of a 7-week intervention based on The Interoception Curriculum: A Guide to Developing Mindful Self-Regulation in improving interoception and emotional regulation. We purposefully sampled middle-school participants (N = 9) with several diagnoses from a special education classroom. Self-report and teacher-report measures on interoceptive awareness and emotional regulation were collected before and after implementation of the interoception intervention. Statistically significant correlations were seen between the interoceptive awareness and emotional regulation and improvements in interoceptive awareness and emotional regulation were found following the intervention. In a small one group pretest/post-test design, a seven-week intervention based on the interoception curriculum demonstrated feasibility of this approach for children in a special education classroom and outcomes showed that interoceptive awareness and emotional regulation could improve after participation in this intervention.

Preschool Aggression and Victimization: A Short-Term Longitudinal Analysis of the Immediate Social Environment.

Preschool aggression, a significant concern, requires an in-depth examination beyond individual factors. This study explored the link between individual characteristics, immediate social environment variables, and the likelihood of preschoolers being nominated as aggressors or victims. The novelty of the study lies in its comprehensive longitudinal examination, using a multi-informant approach, of how family dynamics, peer relations, teacher-child interactions, and community factors are related to preschool aggression within the context of Bronfenbrenner's ecological system theory. Data was collected at two points, four months apart, to investigate the interplay among sociodemographic, individual, family, and school factors and subsequent child aggression. The study included 394 children (184 girls, 210 boys), aged 3 to 6 years (M = 4.36, SD = 0.87). Caregivers completed questionnaires on socioeconomic status, community relationships, children's emotional regulation, and family functioning. Teachers rated closeness with each child, while children nominated liked and disliked peers, as well as those exhibiting aggressive or victimized behaviour. Logistic regression models revealed stronger associations between peer aggression and victimization and individual factors over microsystems. Surprisingly, community cohesion showed a robust positive link with an increased likelihood of children being nominated as victims, challenging the assumption that positive parenting practices and strong community cohesion always leads to positive outcomes for individuals. The study advances theoretical understanding by examining how factors within preschoolers' microsystems influence aggressive behaviors, contributing to more holistic models for addressing preschool aggression and victimization in schools. The findings highlight the significance of targeted interventions, emphasizing early identification of aggression or victimization signs and customized programs for social and emotional skill development. Addressing parental stress and interparental conflict is crucial. Additionally, community-based initiatives, like strengthening support networks, play a pivotal role in fostering healthier social dynamics among preschoolers.