Child Emotion Dysregulation Research Articles

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 Pilot Controlled Trial of Relaxation Training Combined with a Video Game Reinforcing Emotional Regulation to Improve Anger Management in Children and Adolescents.

Untreated anger and aggression in youth confer heightened risk for subsequent psychosocial problems. However, engaging youth in treatment for anger can be difficult given barriers to accessing care and high rates of attrition. This study examined whether learning relaxation skills and practicing them using a videogame, whose operation was contingent upon keeping heart rate close to baseline levels, could help children learn to manage anger and aggression. Youth ages 7-17 with elevated levels of anger (N = 39) were randomized to receive the active video game condition or a control game that displayed heart rate but did not stop the game if heart rate became elevated. Youth underwent baseline screening, 6 treatment sessions, and follow-up assessments at 2-weeks and 3-months. Compared to the control condition, children in the active condition demonstrated significantly greater improvements in clinician-rated aggression severity (d = 1.48) and youth-rated emotion dysregulation (d = 3.46) at 2-weeks post-treatment. The active group maintained these improvements at 3-month follow-up, but no longer significantly differed from the control group. Intervention effects were nonsignificant for parent-reported emotion dysregulation and aggression. In addition, the intervention group youth, but not control group, experienced increased time with heart rate below baseline over the course of the 6 sessions. Findings suggest a promising brief intervention for reducing aggression and emotion dysregulation in children while they are waiting for longer-term outpatient therapy. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03270813.

Mediating effects of child schema mode in the relationship between negative parent-child relationships in childhood and non-suicidal self-injurious behavior in college students

This study was aimed to investigate the psychological mechanisms underlying non-suicidal self-injurious behavior. For this purpose, we hypothesized that dysfunctional child modes act as a psychological mechanism to influence the relationship between negative parent-child relationships in childhood and current cognitions (catastrophizing), emotions (emotional dysregulation and depression), and behaviors (non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors). A sample of 430 college students (male 97, female 333) with experience of non-suicidal self-injurious behavior was selected to test the multi-mediation effects of child schema mode (angry, impulsive), catastrophizing, emotional dysregulation, and depression on the relationship between negative parent-child relationships in childhood and non-suicidal self-injury. As a result of structural equation modeling analysis, it was found that negative parent-child relationships in childhood directly influenced child schema mode, catastrophizing, depression, and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors. In addition, it was found that negative parent-child relationships in childhood were dually mediated by child schema mode and depression and child schema mode and emotional dysregulation. The present study highlights the mediating role of child schema modes as a psychological mechanism underlying the relationship between negative parent-child relationships in childhood and non-suicidal self-injurious behavior. Based on these findings, the usefulness and direction of schema therapy interventions in the field of non-suicidal self-injury counseling are discussed.

Investigating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms, Emotional Dysregulation and Family Functioning in Children: A Community-Based Study in Elementary Schools in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Research on emotional dysregulation related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and its effects on family functioning in children is scarce. This is the first study conducted in Indonesia to examine the intricate relationships between ADHD symptoms, emotional regulation, and family functioning in children. A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving primary caregivers of children aged 9-13 years old across three elementary schools in Surabaya, using validated questionnaires comprising the Indonesian ADHD Rating Scale, Emotion Regulation Checklist, and Family APGAR scale. The findings revealed a positive association between ADHD features and the emotional lability/negativity subscale (ERLN) (r=0.528; p<0.001), but not the emotion regulation subscale (EREG). Moreover, family functioning positively correlated with ERLN (r= -0.269; p=0.003) and negatively correlated with EREG (r=0.331; p<0.001). Parental education emerged as a significant demographic factor, with higher education levels linked to better emotion regulation (r=0.297; p=0.001). These findings underscore the importance of addressing ADHD symptoms and emotional dysregulation in children in order to enhance family functioning and overall well-being. Implications for future research and interventions targeting emotion regulation, especially in children with ADHD and their families, are also discussed.

Early-Childhood Tablet Use and Outbursts of Anger

Tablet use continues to increase in preschool-aged children. The use of mobile devices has been linked to child emotional dysregulation. However, few studies have been able to show a clear direction of association between child tablet use and the development of self-regulation skills. In addition, few studies have modeled within-person associations over time. To estimate how child tablet use contributes to expressions of anger and frustration across the ages of 3.5 to 5.5 years at the within-person level. The study team also examined the extent to which associations are bidirectional to clarify the direction of the correlations. This prospective, community-based convenience sample of 315 parents of preschool-aged children from Nova Scotia, Canada, was studied repeatedly at the ages of 3.5 (2020), 4.5 (2021), and 5.5 years (2022) during the COVID-19 pandemic. All analyses were conducted between October 5, 2023, and December 15, 2023. Parent-reported tablet use at the ages of 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 years. Parents reported child expressions of anger/frustration at the ages of 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 years using the Children's Behavior Questionnaire. The sample was equally distributed across child sex (171 were identified by parents as being born boys [54%] and 144 as girls [46%]). Most reported being Canadian (287 [91.0%]) and married (258 [82.0%]). A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model revealed that a 1-SD increase in tablet use at 3.5 years (corresponding to 1.22 hours per day) was associated with a 22% SD scale increase in anger/frustration at age 4.5 years (standardized coefficient = 0.22; 95% CI, 0.01-0.44). A 1 SD scale increase in anger and frustration at 4.5 years was associated with a 22% SD (corresponding to 0.28 hours per day) increase in tablet use at 5.5 years (standardized coefficient = 0.22; 95% CI, 0.01-0.43). In this study, child tablet use at age 3.5 years was associated with more expressions of anger and frustration by the age of 4.5 years. Child proneness to anger/frustration at age 4.5 years was then associated with more use of tablets by age 5.5 years. These results suggest that early-childhood tablet use may contribute to a cycle that is deleterious for emotional regulation.

Investigating correlates of children's emotional well‐being: Parenting stress and child temperament

AbstractChildren's emotional well‐being may emerge as a result of the dynamic interplay between individual factors, such as temperament and environmental factors, such as parenting stress. The current study aimed to investigate the contributions of child temperament and parenting stress to children's emotional well‐being. This study also examined the moderating role of parenting stress on the association between child temperament and children's emotional well‐being. Participants were mothers of 219 Turkish preschool children (110 girls) aged 36 months to 76 months (M = 56.95 months, SD = 11.73 months). Mothers reported on children's emotional well‐being (emotion regulation, emotion dysregulation, child aggression and child anxiety), temperament (persistence and reactivity) and parenting stress. Persistence was negatively associated with emotion dysregulation and child aggression, while reactivity was negatively associated with emotion regulation and positively associated with emotion dysregulation, aggression and anxiety. Parenting stress was negatively associated with emotion regulation and positively associated with emotion dysregulation, aggression and anxiety. Simple slope analyses revealed that high persistence coupled with low parenting stress was associated with higher emotion regulation, while low persistence paired with high parenting stress was linked to higher child aggression. The findings underline the significance of child temperament and parenting stress for children's emotional well‐being.Highlights Temperamental persistence is negatively associated with emotion dysregulation and aggression. Temperamental reactivity is negatively associated with emotion regulation and positively associated with emotion dysregulation, aggression and anxiety. Parenting stress was negatively associated with emotion regulation and positively associated with emotion dysregulation, aggression and anxiety in children.

Threat, Emotion Dysregulation, and Parenting in a Clinical Sample of Children with Disruptive Behaviour.

Early-life adversity is associated with the development of internalizing and externalizing problems in children. Despite this, there is a need to understand the mechanisms linking these experiences to psychopathology, especially in clinical samples. This cross-sectional study tested emotion dysregulation as a mechanism linking early-life threat to psychopathology in a clinical sample of children with disruptive behavior problems. We also explored parental positive reinforcement as a protective factor in these pathways.A clinical sample of 606 children aged 6-12years, referred to a mental healthcare hospital, were included. Parent-reported child threat, and parent- and teacher-reported child emotion dysregulation and psychopathology, were collected. Path analysis was used to explore the mediating effect of emotion dysregulation in the relation between threat and psychopathology. The moderating effects of parental positive reinforcement were explored through moderated-mediation analyses. Emotion dysregulation partially mediated the association between threat and both internalizing (β = .18, P = .006)and externalizing (β = .19, P = .002) problems. Positive reinforcement did not buffer the association between threat and emotion dysregulation (β = .09, P = .62) or the association between emotion dysregulation and internalizing (β = -.003, P = .20)or externalizing (β = -.002, P = .35). Poor emotion regulation may be a transdiagnostic mechanism linking early-threat with internalizing and externalizing problems in clinic-referred children with disruptive behaviors. Factors aside from parental positive reinforcement should be explored as protective factors in these pathways, including those directly implicated in the purported mechanisms linking these factors over time.

Emotion Regulation in Families: Exploring the Link between Parent-Child Alexithymia and Child Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic comprises a mass trauma for children and families, and children may face particular vulnerability to post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) through processes of parent and child emotional dysregulation, such as alexithymia. With 88 U.S. children (Mage = 9.94 years; 54.5% female; 59.1% White) and their parents/caregivers (68.2% female; 59.1% White), a path model was tested in which child alexithymia symptoms partially mediated the association between parent alexithymia symptoms and child COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). We also tested an alternative model in which child alexithymia symptoms moderated the association between parent alexithymia symptoms and child PTSS. The hypothesized mediation model was supported (β = 0.15, SE = 0.05, 95% CI: [0.07, 0.25], p < 0.001), whereas the hypothesized moderator model was not (β = 0.06, p = 0.44). Findings highlight the importance of parents' emotional understanding and regulation for child mental health during mass traumas such as pandemics.

Mindless to Mindful Parenting? Videofeedback-Enhanced Psychotherapy for Violence-Exposed Mothers and Their Young Children.

This article presents a frequent dilemma of treatment-seeking mothers suffering from complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that is related to exposure to maltreatment and other forms of interpersonal violence. Namely, that complex PTSD symptoms, including dissociative states in mothers that are triggered by normative child emotion dysregulation, aggression, and distress during early childhood, hinder the development of a productive psychotherapeutic process in more traditional psychodynamic psychotherapies for mothers and children. The article thus presents clinician-assisted videofeedback exposure (CAVE) that characterizes a recently manualized brief psychotherapy for this population, called CAVE-approach therapy (CAVEAT). CAVEAT can be used on its own or to preface a deeper process using child-parent psychotherapy or other non-videofeedback-enhanced psychodynamic models. A clinical illustration is provided.

Maternal Intergenerational Transmission of Child Maltreatment and Emotion Dysregulation in Chinese Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) have a higher-than-normative possibility of being maltreated by their parents. Research has rarely examined the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment from parents to their children with ODD. This study examined the potential mediating roles of maternal and child emotion dysregulation in the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment from Chinese mothers to their children with ODD, as well as the potential sex difference. A sample of 155 children with ODD ( Mage = 9.56, SD = 1.59; 27.4% girls) and their mothers ( Mage = 36.58, SD = 4.21) was involved. Maternal history of childhood maltreatment, emotion dysregulation, and current physical and emotional abuse were reported by mothers, while child emotion dysregulation was reported by mothers, teachers, and children. The results showed that both maternal and child emotion dysregulation related to the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment, in which only child emotion dysregulation worked as the mediator. And, no sex difference was found. The results are suggestive of the greater significance of child emotion dysregulation than maternal in the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment from Chinese mothers to their children with ODD.

Exploring the Relationship between Turkish Mothers' Parenting and Psychological Well-Being in Early Childhood: The Role of Child Emotion Regulation and Dysregulation.

Although the importance of psychological well-being in early childhood is emphasized, the number of studies conducted with children and adolescents in this field is less than those carried out with adults. The present study aimed to explore the role of child emotion regulation in the relationship between parenting and psychological well-being among a sample of Turkish preschoolers aged 5-6. It further examines the mediating role of emotion regulation. The sample consisted of 416 mothers with children aged 5-6 (Mage = 5.38, SD = 0.48; 50% girls-boys). We collected the data using the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS), the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC), and the Psychological Well-Being Scale for Children (PWBS-C). The findings revealed significant relationships among parenting practices (positive/negative), the child's emotion regulation/dysregulation, and the child's psychological well-being. Moreover, the findings revealed that positive parenting, directly and indirectly, affects children's psychological well-being through children's emotion regulation. On the other hand, findings disclosed that negative parenting has both a direct and indirect impact on children's psychological well-being through children's emotion regulation. Overall, the study may shed light on a possible process in which positive parenting boosts a child's emotional regulation and psychological well-being among preschoolers.

Emotion Regulation and Organizational Skills in Children With ADHD Symptoms Are Associated With Behavioral Parent Training Adherence

Objective: Behavioral parent training (BPT) is a well-established treatment for ADHD; however, treatment response is variable. Consistency in parent skill use during BPT is known to influence child outcomes post-treatment, while less research has focused on specific child factors that may be impacting parent skill utilization during treatment. The current study examined associations between child organizational skills and emotion dysregulation (ED) with parent treatment adherence during BPT and post-treatment child impairment. Method: Parents of 72 children (Mage = 8.31) with ADHD symptoms and impairment participated in BPT which was embedded in a 12-week, multicomponent, school-based intervention for children delivered by school mental health clinicians. Outcomes included parent treatment adherence and child improvements in global impairment post-treatment. Results: Greater pre-treatment child organizational problems were associated with less parent treatment adherence regardless of ADHD symptom severity. Worse pre-treatment child ED was associated with more impairment post-treatment regardless of ADHD symptom severity whereas the effects of child ED on parent treatment adherence were moderated by child ADHD symptom severity. Conclusion: The current study suggests that pre-treatment child ED and organizational difficulties impact parent treatment adherence to behavioral interventions targeting ADHD symptoms, potentially in unique ways, and should be considered in future BPT treatment studies.

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, Effortful Control, and Child Social Anxiety Symptoms

Emotion dysregulation is implicated in child social anxiety and its etiology. Child emotion dysregulation has been studied via physiological indicators (e.g., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) and behavioral indicators (e.g., effortful control). Previous work suggests that physiological indicators of regulation may predict outcomes in a non-linear manner and must be considered within the context of other intrapersonal factors, perhaps including effortful control. To this end, the current study tested effortful control as a moderator of the relation between RSA and child social anxiety, considering both linear and curvilinear patterns and controlling for inhibited temperament, an established predictor of child anxiety. Children (n = 119; 44% female) participated when they were 4 years old and entering school age (5 to 7 years). Mothers reported on children’s effortful control (age 4) and social anxiety (school age). Children’s RSA (age 4) was calculated from electrocardiogram data when they were at rest (i.e., baseline RSA) and when they were giving a speech. Results indicated that when children were high in effortful control, lower baseline RSA predicted higher social anxiety symptoms. Tentative evidence emerged for a relation between greater suppression of RSA during the speech compared to baseline and higher social anxiety symptoms when children were low in effortful control. Results support assessing the temperamental domain of effortful control as a contextualizing factor in the relation between psychophysiology and child anxiety outcomes.

Assessing the mediating relationships between psychological factors in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and cognitive disengagement syndrome

This study aims to investigate the predictive and mediating relationships between emotion dysregulation, internalizing disorders, family functionality, loneliness preference, and executive functions (EF) in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and cognitive disengagement syndrome (ADHD + CDS). This study included 176 children and adolescents (92 boys, 84 girls) who were diagnosed with ADHD + CDS according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the Fifth Edition criteria by a fellowship-trained child and adolescent psychiatrist, between ages 8 -12 (M = 10, SD = 1.52) with a convenience sampling method. The solitude scale for children, difficulties in emotion dysregulation scale, Child Behavior Checklist, Barkley Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale, Family assessment device, and CNS Vital Signs test were used. The results showed that difficulty in emotion regulation, preference for loneliness, internalizing disorders and CDS symptom severity did not have a mediating effect between family functionality and EF. Still, emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between EF and internalizing disorders by itself and through loneliness preference. Also, preference for loneliness and emotion dysregulation had a mediating effect between family functionality and internalizing disorders. Finally, it was found that the effect of emotion regulation difficulty, loneliness preference, and internalizing disorders had a mediating role between CDS symptom severity and family functionality. In conclusion, the information obtained from this study on the etiology of CDS may guide future studies.

Children's emotional reactivity and negative affect predict future ADHD symptom severity beyond initial ADHD symptom severity.

Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often experience significant emotion dysregulation. However, there is limited longitudinal data on associations between multiple aspects of emotion dysregulation and ADHD symptoms. Additionally, given substantial evidence that increased levels and variability of negative affect (NA) are identified in children with ADHD, it is important to examine the role of NA in this relationship. The present study used momentary and longitudinal data to examine the relation between two aspects of emotion dysregulation (emotional lability and emotional reactivity), the two ADHD symptom clusters separately (inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive), total ADHD symptom severity, and NA variability over a period of six months. Participants (N = 68) were parents of children aged 7-12years old (M = 9.80, SD = 1.34) who completed baseline and 6-month follow-up reports of children's ADHD symptoms and emotion dysregulation as well as ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of their children's NA for one week. Results were threefold: (1) children's emotional reactivity predicted inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and total ADHD symptom severity above and beyond initial ADHD symptom severity, but emotional lability did not significantly predict severity of any ADHD symptom cluster; (2) NA variability predicted hyperactive/impulsive and total ADHD symptom severity, but not inattentive severity; and (3) initial ADHD symptom severity did not predict emotion dysregulation at follow-up. The current study provides novel insight regarding the longitudinal influence of specific aspects of emotion dysregulation and NA on ADHD symptom severity in children and suggests that targeting emotional reactivity could minimize ADHD symptom severity.

Safety and Efficacy of Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Management of Emotional Dysregulation in Children and Adolescents with Externalizing Behavior Disorders: Protocol of a Transdiagnostic Sham Controlled fMRI Study

Background: High-frequency deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been known to be effective in modulating emotional experience but not studied in children and adolescents with externalizing behavior disorders (EBDs). We present a novel protocol for a study that aims to assess the safety and efficacy of adjuvant dTMS in managing emotional dysregulation in EBDs in children and adolescents. Methods: The trial is prospectively registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) at www.ctri.nic.in with registration number: CTRI/2023/03/050701. In total, 40 subjects with age less than 18 years with EBDs would be randomized into two groups (active and sham dTMS); receiving 15 sessions of high-frequency dTMS, each, over 3 weeks. The subjects and rater would remain blind to treatment allocation. Assessments would be done at baseline and immediately after completion of the treatment using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Difficulty in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS), Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS), Affective Reactivity Index (ARI), Barratt’s Impulsivity Scale (BIS), Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST), Children Global Assessment Scale (CGAS), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI). A checklist for side effects will be administered following each session in both groups. Result: Data shall be analyzed utilizing the statistical software Statistical Package for Social Sciences for outcome variables as defined for the purpose of the study. Safety of dTMS in young subjects as assessed by TMSens_Q and reduction in scores of DERS would be primary outcome variables. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) task-based assessment of the difference in activation of mPFC and ACC at baseline and after application of dTMS and reduction in scores of BIS, ARI, MOAS, CGI, and CGAS would be measured as secondary outcome variables. Conclusion: The study’s results are going to provide insight into potential role of dTMS in addressing emotional dysregulation in EBDs in children and adolescents adding one more tool to the armamentarium.

Childhood emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between preschool emotion labeling and adolescent depressive symptoms.

Deficits in emotion processing (e.g., emotion labeling and regulation) are widely implicated in depression risk. While prior literature documents these deficits in concurrence with depression, more research is needed to investigate emotion processing pathways of depression risk across development. The purpose of this study was to investigate if emotion processes (i.e., emotion labeling and emotion regulation/dysregulation) in early and middle childhood predict adolescent depressive symptom severity in a prospective sample. Data were analyzed from a longitudinal study of diverse preschoolers oversampled for depressive symptoms using measures of preschool emotion labeling of faces (i.e., Facial Affect Comprehension Evaluation), middle childhood emotion regulation and dysregulation (i.e., emotion regulation checklist), and adolescent depressive symptoms (i.e., PAPA, CAPA, and KSADS-PL diagnostic interviews). Multilevel models indicated that preschoolers with depression had similar development of emotion labeling in early childhood as peers. Mediation analyses revealed that deficits in preschool-aged anger and surprise labeling ability indirectly predicted higher adolescent depressive symptom severity through increased middle childhood emotion lability/negativity, not decreased emotion regulation. Adolescent depression may be predicted by an emotion processing pathway that spans from early childhood to adolescence, and findings may generalize to high risk for depression youth samples. Specifically, poor emotion labeling in early childhood may lead to increased childhood emotion lability/negativity, which increases the risk for adolescent depressive symptom severity. Findings may help identify specific emotion processing relations in childhood that increase the risk for depression and inform intervention aimed at improving preschoolers' anger and surprise labeling. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Multimodal Assessment of Emotion Dysregulation in Children with and without ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

ABSTRACT Objective We sought to explore if specific domains of emotion dysregulation (emotion regulation [EREG], emotional reactivity/lability [EREL], emotion recognition/understanding [ERU], and callous-unemotional [CU] behaviors) were uniquely associated with diagnostic classifications. Method This study utilized a multimodal (parent/teacher [P/T] reports and behavioral observations) approach to examine emotion dysregulation in a sample of young children (68.7% boys; mean age = 5.47, SD = 0.77, 81.4% Latinx) with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD Only; n = 46), ADHD + disruptive behavior disorders (ADHD+DBD; n = 129), and typically developing (TD) children (n = 148). Results All three diagnostic groups were significantly different from one another on P/T reports of EREG, EREL and CU. For the ADHD+DBD group, P/T reported worse EREG and EREL, and higher mean scores of CU, compared to both ADHD Only and TD groups. The ADHD+DBD group also performed significantly worse than the TD group (but not the ADHD Only group) on observed measures of EREG, EREL and ERU. P/T reported EREG, EREL and CU for the ADHD Only group were significantly worse than the TD group. Using multinomial logistic regression, P/T reported EREG, EREL, and CU were significantly associated with diagnostic status above and beyond observed measures of emotion dysregulation. The model successfully classified children with ADHD+DBD (91.3%) and TD (95.9%); however, children in the ADHD Only group were correctly identified only 45.7% of time. Conclusion Our findings suggest that measures of emotion dysregulation may be particularly helpful in correctly identifying children with ADHD+DBD, but not necessarily children with ADHD Only.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder: Emotion Dysregulation, Abuse, and Treatment Outcomes

ABSTRACT Objective Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is characterized by extreme emotional dysregulation. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is an empirically supported and effective treatment for BPD in adolescents and adults. However, the extent to which exposure to childhood abuse (i.e. physical and sexual abuse) impacts treatment outcomes is not well understood. This open trial investigated the effectiveness of an intensive residential DBT program in reducing emotion dysregulation in adolescents with BPD symptoms, as well as the impact that severity and type of childhood abuse had on treatment outcomes. Method Participants (N = 46) were female-identifying adolescents 13–20 years of age enrolled in an intensive residential DBT treatment program. Severity of abuse exposure and abuse subtype (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Short Form, CTQ-SF) and difficulties with emotional dysregulation (DERS) were assessed at admission and DERS again after 1 month of treatment. Results Bivariate correlation between DERS Total Score and Abuse Exposure Total Score indicated that severity of abuse exposure had a medium positive association with emotion dysregulation at admission. Mixed model ANOVA results showed significant reductions in emotional dysregulation following 1 month of treatment, with a large effect size. Exploratory analysis testing exposure to different subtypes of childhood abuse as a moderator of treatment effects was non-significant. Conclusions Emotion dysregulation showed significant reductions following intensive residential DBT interventions. Reductions were consistent across subtypes of abuse exposure. Implications for the treatment of adolescents with abuse histories and current BPD-related problems, and the relationship between child abuse exposure and emotional dysregulation overall, are discussed.

Smartphone Addiction, Executive Function, and Mother-Child Relationships in Early Childhood Emotion Dysregulation

Early childhood emotional dysregulation is critical in recognizing and preventing psychological well-being disorders, laying the groundwork for developing healthy emotional behaviors early on. This study aims to determine the direct influence of smartphone addiction, executive function, and the mother-child relationship on emotional dysregulation in early childhood in West Sumatra. This research method is a quantitative survey. The data collection technique in this research uses a questionnaire design on 309 parents who were selected using a simple random sampling method. This data processing tool uses the SmartPLS software. The results of the study indicate that smartphone addiction has a significant impact on emotional dysregulation in early childhood, executive function has a positive and significant effect on emotional dysregulation in early childhood, and the mother-child relationship has a positive and significant influence on emotional dysregulation in early childhood. The findings of this research can offer valuable insights into improving the understanding of the factors that influence emotional dysregulation in early childhood and intervention strategies to address the issues that arise as a result.&#x0D; Keywords: smartphone addiction, executive function, mother-child relationship, emotional dysregulation, early childhood&#x0D;