Parental Emotion Research Articles

Diversity of Parent Emotions and Physician Responses During End-of-Life Conversations.

To provide support to parents of critically ill children, it is important that physicians adequately respond to parents' emotions. In this study, we investigated emotions expressed by parents, physicians' responses to these expressions, and parents' emotions after the physicians' responses in conversations in which crucial decisions regarding the child's life-sustaining treatment had to be made. Forty-nine audio-recorded conversations between parents of 12 critically ill children and physicians working in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units of 3 Dutch university medical centers were coded and analyzed by using a qualitative inductive approach. Forty-six physicians and 22 parents of 12 children participated. In all 49 conversations, parents expressed a broad range of emotions, often intertwining, including anxiety, anger, devotion, grief, relief, hope, and guilt. Both implicit and explicit expressions of anxiety were prevalent. Physicians predominantly responded to parental emotions with cognition-oriented approaches, thereby limiting opportunities for parents. This appeared to intensify parents' expressions of anger and protectiveness, although their anxiety remained under the surface. In response to more tangible emotional expressions, for instance, grief when the child's death was imminent, physicians provided parents helpful support in both affect- and cognition-oriented ways. Our findings illustrate the diversity of emotions expressed by parents during end-of-life conversations. Moreover, they offer insight into the more and less helpful ways in which physicians may respond to these emotions. More training is needed to help physicians in recognizing parents' emotions, particularly implicit expressions of anxiety, and to choose helpful combinations of responses.

Evaluation of a Novel Question Prompt List in Pediatric Surgical Oncology

IntroductionParents of children with cancer describe interactions with clinicians as emotionally distressing. Patient engagement in treatment discussions decreases decisional conflict and improves decision quality which may limit such distress. We have shown that parents prefer to engage surgeons by asking questions, but parents may not know what to ask. Question Prompt Lists (QPLs), structured lists of questions designed to help patients ask important questions, have not been studied in pediatric surgery. We developed a QPL designed to empower parents to ask meaningful questions during pediatric surgical oncology discussions. We conducted a mixed methods analysis to assess the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of using the QPL. MethodsKey stakeholders at an academic children's hospital participated in focus groups to discuss the QPL. Focus groups were recorded and transcribed. Participants were surveyed regarding QPL acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility. Thematic content analysis of transcripts was performed. ResultsFour parents, five nurses, five nurse practitioners, five oncologists, and four surgeons participated. Seven key themes were identified: (1) QPL as a tool of empowerment; (2) stick to the surgical details; (3) QPLs can impact discussion quality; (4) time consuming, but not overly disruptive; (5) parental emotion may impact QPL use; (6) provide QPLs prior to surgical consultation in both print and digital formats; and (7) expansion of QPLs to other disciplines. Over 70% of participants agreed that the QPL was acceptable, appropriate, and feasible. ConclusionsOur novel QPL is acceptable, appropriate, and feasible to use with parents of pediatric surgical oncology patients.

Profiles of parents' emotion socialization within a multinational sample of parents.

Seminal emotion socialization theories classify parents according to two patterns of parent emotion socialization processes: 'emotion coaching' (i.e., parents validate and teach children about emotions) versus 'emotion dismissing' parenting (i.e., parents minimize and dismiss their children's emotions). However, empirical evidence supporting this binary distinction of parents remains limited. Our objective was to investigate whether parents can be differentiated by distinct patterns in their (1) beliefs about children's emotions, (2) emotion regulation, and (3) emotion-related parenting practices. Participants were parents of children aged 4-10 years from the Child and Parent Emotion Study (N = 869) (https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/10/e038124). Parents completed self-reported measures of emotion socialization processes via an online survey, which took 20-30 min to complete. Data included in the current study were collected May-August 2019. We conducted a latent profile analysis of parents' emotion socialization (13 indicators). To assess reliability of the profiles, we examined stability of the profiles across (1) parents of children in early versus middle childhood, and (2) fathers versus mothers, via measurement invariance testing. Further, to assess for construct validity of the profiles, we examined concurrent associations between six criterion constructs and parents' emotion socialization profiles. A three-profile model emerged characterizing parents by: (1) emotion coaching; (2) emotion dismissing; (3) emotion disengaged. There was strong support for construct validity and reliability. Our study provides empirical support for distinct differentiated classifications of emotion coaching and emotion dismissing parenting, aligned with emotion socialization theories. We further extend on extant theory and suggest a third 'emotion disengaged' classification, describing parents with moderate levels of emotion dismissing parenting and low levels of emotion coaching parenting. It should be noted that the profiles were derived with self-report data, therefore, data may have been biased by contextual factors. Furthermore, the study sample consisted of Western families from affluent backgrounds. The field should focus efforts on conducting person-centered studies with more diverse samples in future.

A scale of parent-to-child emotions: Adaptation, factor structure, and measurement invariance.

Emotions that parents feel when they think about their own child are extremely important in determining parenting approaches toward a child. Parental emotions should be defined under the rubric of human emotions that include both basic and self-conscious emotions. The Scale for Parent-to-Baby Emotions (SPBE) was developed underlying this concept, whereas an applicable scale for parent-to-child emotions for a wider age range for both mothers and fathers is needed. This study is aimed at examining the measurement invariance of this adapted scale among Japanese families. In a cross-sectional internet survey, men and women who had a child/children (including a fetus), whose eldest was aged up to 12 years old (N = 4600), were recruited. The questionnaire, which included the Scale for Parent-to-Child-Emotions-62 (SPCE-62) created from the SPBE via a process of rigorous translation, focused only on the eldest child. The feasibility of the SPCE-62 was assessed by a panel of three researchers. Each domain of both basic and self-conscious emotions was examined both in terms of robust factor structure and stable measurement invariance by multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Responses to individual items were examined via item response theory, including differential item functioning. This resulted in a 43-item SPCE consisting of 9 domains: Happiness (four items), Anger (six items), Fear (four items), Sadness (five items), Disgust (five items), Shame (five items), Guilt (seven items), Alpha Pride (three items), and Beta Pride (four items). An empirical construct of parental emotion toward a child was derived. The SPCE makes it possible to measure parent-to-child emotions across parents' gender and the three age ranges of the child.

Parent emotion regulation and parenting self-efficacy: The moderating role of coparenting

Successful parenting involves high parenting self-efficacy (PSE)—one’s belief in their ability to parent successfully—and strong parent emotion regulation (ER)—the capacity to evaluate and modify one’s emotional reactions. Additionally, a cooperative, well-coordinated coparenting relationship is an important source of support for parents. This study examined the associations of parent ER with PSE and considered the moderating role of coparenting. Ninety-nine different-sex couples with school-age children participated. Parents completed survey measures of ER, PSE, and coparenting, as well as an observed coparenting task with their seven-year-old children. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models were used to examine relations between parent ER and PSE moderated by coparenting quality. Among mothers, perceived coparenting moderated the associations of both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression with PSE, with the PSE of mothers perceiving lower-quality coparenting relationships benefitting the most from cognitive reappraisal and the PSE of mothers perceiving higher-quality coparenting relationships suffering the most from expressive suppression. Among fathers, observed coparenting moderated the relation between ER strategy and PSE. Expressive suppression was negatively associated with fathers’ PSE when observed coparenting quality was lower, while cognitive reappraisal was positively associated with fathers’ PSE when coparenting quality was higher. The present study contributes to the growing body of research on the associations of parent ER with parental functioning.

Child aggression and parenting behavior: Understanding the child-driven effects with parents' emotion regulation as a moderator.

The present study examined the longitudinal relations between child aggression and coercive parenting behaviors and the moderating role of parental emotion regulation strategies in these relations. The sample of this study were 168 children (88 girls; Mage = 60.97 months, SD = 5.51) and their parents recruited from five kindergartens. At Time 1 (T1), parents reported their own use of coercive parenting behaviors (i.e., physical coercion and psychological control) and emotion regulation strategies (i.e., suppression and reappraisal). A coloring task was administered to assess the child's aggression at the child's kindergarten. At Time 2 (T2; approximately 6 months later), mothers and fathers again reported their coercive parenting behaviors. Results indicate that suppression served as a moderator in the relations between child aggression and mothers' coercive parenting behavior. Specifically, (a) T1 child aggression was not directly predictive of T2 coercive parenting behaviors; (b) child overt aggression at T1 was associated with increased coercive parenting behaviors at T2 among mothers reporting higher use of suppression and was associated with decreased coercive parenting behaviors at T2 among mothers reporting lower use of suppression; (c) T1 child covert aggression was associated with increased T2 psychological control among mothers with more use of suppression and was associated with decreased psychological control among mothers reporting lower use of suppression. Reappraisal was not a moderator in the relations between child aggression and coercive parenting behaviors. These results shed light on the relations between child aggression and coercive parenting behavior as a function of parents' emotion regulation strategy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Differential associations and concordance across measures of parent emotion socialization: The role of parent and adolescent emotion dysregulation

AbstractAlthough parent ratings, adolescent ratings, and observations are all utilized to measure parent emotion socialization during adolescence, there is a lack of research examining measurement differences and concordance. Thus, the present study compared three measures of parent supportive and nonsupportive emotion socialization and examined whether parent and adolescent emotion dysregulation differentially related to these measures or moderated concordance across measures. Participants were a community sample of 92 adolescent‐parent dyads. Adolescents were 13–17 years‐old (M = 15.5, SD = 1.1), 41 were female and 51 were male; 87% of parents identified as mothers. Observed emotion socialization was coded during a parent‐adolescent conflict discussion task. The adolescent and parent also rated the parent's supportive and nonsupportive reactions to the adolescent's negative emotions; they each also rated their own emotion dysregulation. Due to data collection timing, COVID‐19 family stress was also assessed and explored as a covariate in analyses. Bivariate correlations indicated that there were weak and non‐significant correlations across emotion socialization measures. Multilevel models indicated that measures of parent emotion socialization were differentially associated with adolescent emotion dysregulation, with adolescent emotion dysregulation relating significantly to adolescent ratings, but not observations or parent ratings, of parent emotion socialization. In addition, multiple regressions indicated that there was less concordance across measures when parents were higher in emotion dysregulation. Results suggest that measurement may influence researchers’ conclusions about how youth adjustment relates to parent emotion socialization. Additionally, there may be even lower agreement across measures of parent emotion socialization when parents have emotional challenges.

Perceived parental depression, intrusive rumination, and internalizing problems: A three-wave longitudinal study in adolescents.

Research suggests that perceiving parental depression elicits internalizing problems in adolescents, but certain studies have indicated that adolescents' internalizing problems also increase their perception of parental emotion. To further investigate the inconsistent findings about the nature of this relationship, the current study used longitudinal data to examine the causal association between adolescents' internalizing problems and the parental depression they perceived, as well as the role of intrusive rumination in the relationship. Method: In this longitudinal study, 392 adolescents who experienced the catastrophic Jiuzhaigou earthquake in 2017 were surveyed at three time points after the earthquake: 12 months (T1), 21 months (T2) and 27 months (T3). A cross-lagged panel model was used to carry out the data analysis. Results: Mutual cause-and-effect relationships were found between intrusive rumination and both perceived parental depression and internalizing problems, respectively; a unilateral causal relationship in which internalizing problems positively predicted perceived parental depression was also found. In addition, internalizing problems predicted perceived parental depression via the mediating role of intrusive rumination; similarly, intrusive rumination predicted perceived parental depression via internalizing problems. Conclusions: Internalizing problems were a risk factor for perceived parental depression, and intrusive rumination played an important role in the relationship between internalizing problems and perceived parental depression.

Parental emotionality and power relations in heritage language maintenance: experiences of Chinese and African immigrant families in Australia.

Emotionality is increasingly given prominence in the field of language acquisition and socialization in migration contexts. This cross-sectional study explores the emotional experiences of Chinese and African immigrant families in their practices of maintaining their children's heritage languages. We used open-ended interviews, field notes from informal conversations and observations, photographic evidence of children's literacy practices, and language portrait (LP) descriptions, to collect data. Results from an ethnographic analysis of the data revealed a whole range of negative and positive parental emotions (e.g., anxiety, loss, shame vs. enjoyment, accomplishment, and pride), in the discourse of maintaining heritage and minority languages. We discuss the language emotions, whether positive or negative, in light of language ideologies, which specifically points to the significance of profit discourse in the formation of family language policies (FLPs). This materialistic valorization reveals the complexities of power relations between English and minority languages, between Chinese and African languages, and within various Chinese and African languages. Consequently, the distinct hierarchies between English and minority languages and the hidden layers within minority languages further legitimate diasporic ideologies of Chinese and African parents in terms of the emotionality associated with prioritizing, maintaining, and forgoing languages. These findings suggests that language emotionality is of vital importance to the psycho-social wellbeing of immigrant families and has practical implications for policymakers and heritage language research.

The emotional pathway to parenthood: Parental mentalizing mediates the association between alexithymia and parental emotion regulation in the transition to parenthood

Becoming a parent is perhaps one of the most profound processes in the lives of individuals, and it entails significant psychological, neurobiological, and hormonal changes designed to facilitate successful caretaking. It is considered a highly challenging emotional transitional experience for most parents both as individuals and couples, accompanied with elevated levels of role overload and stress. Therefore, parents’ self emotion-regulation within the parenting context plays an important role in the transition to parenthood. Unfortunately, parents’ own self-regulation within the context of parenting is largely overlooked. The aim of the current investigation was to explore whether parental self emotion-regulation at six months can be predicted from a prenatally measured trait-like capacity for emotional awareness and labeling—alexithymia. Moreover, this study examined the mediation role parental mentalizing may play in this longitudinal association, while accounting for situational emotional functioning in the form of parental depression. Importantly, this mediation model was tested using an APIM model, considering he mutual influences of both partners on the other. The sample involved 104 community-based couples in the transition to parenthood (prenatally and at six-months). Results showed adults’ alexithymia, assessed prenatally, predicted parental mentalizing, which, in turn, predicted the parent's ability to regulate one own self in challenging times of parental distress, above and beyond postnatal depression. Moreover, this study revealed important dyadic associations between both parents, highlighting the importance of examining parental capacities and functioning within a systemic framework. The empirical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Maternal and paternal emotion socialization relates to adolescent self-compassion

Parent emotion socialization contributes to youth socioemotional adjustment and is an important consideration for prevention and intervention efforts. Extant research posits that parental emotion socialization influences youth mental health through child-level factors, such as how youth process and manage their emotions. Self-compassion is a protective factor for youth mental health, but the role of parents in youth self-compassion is unclear. Moreover, there is relatively limited research on maternal and paternal emotion socialization in adolescence. The present study examined associations of maternal and paternal emotion socialization with adolescent self-compassion. Adolescents (N = 165, 33% female, M = 14.56 years, SD = 1.34) and their parents completed questionnaires as part of an online survey. Parents’ validation and comfort responses to negative emotions were associated with higher adolescent self-compassion. Parents’ punishment and reciprocation of adolescents’ negative emotions were associated with lower adolescent self-compassion. Similar findings were present for mothers and fathers. Supporting parent-child communication about emotions may be relevant for youth exercising more self-compassion, providing important directions for prevention and intervention efforts.

Comparing the emotional impact of the UK COVID-19 lockdown in very preterm and full-term born children: a longitudinal study

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global mental health crisis, especially for those individuals who are vulnerable to stress and anxiety due to pre-existing mental health problems. This study aimed to understand the emotional impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on children who were born very preterm (VPT, <32 weeks' gestation), as they are vulnerable to mental health difficulties and are at increased risk of developing psychiatric problems during childhood compared to their full-term-born counterparts.MethodsThe parents of 32 VPT children (mean age = 8.7) and 29 term-born controls (mean age = 8.8), who had previously taken part in a study of brain development and psychopathology following VPT birth, completed an online modified version of the Coronavirus Health and Impact Survey (CRISIS). The emotional impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the child and the parent, measured by the CRISIS, was studied in relation to pre-existing mental health, assessed with the parent-rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), evaluated before the CRISIS completion (mean time gap 15 months). Linear regression model comparisons were conducted to study the effects of COVID-19-related stressors on children's and parents' behavior, relationships and mental health.ResultsThere were no significant group differences in pre-existing SDQ internalizing/externalizing symptoms, child's emotions or parent's emotions during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, higher pre-existing internalizing symptoms in VPT children were associated with greater lockdown-related emotional problems and worries (simple slope = 1.95, p < 0.001), whereas this was not observed in term-born children.ConclusionOur results suggest that VPT children with pre-existing internalizing problems may be more vulnerable to the negative impact of certain societal and familial stressors, such as social restrictions during the national COVID-19 lockdown periods. Further rigorous studies are therefore needed to assess the severity of increased risks for this particularly vulnerable group in the context of potentially stressful life changes and adjustments.

Corrigendum to “[Parental Emotion Socialization, Emotion Regulation and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescence: The Role of Family Cohesion

Corrigendum to “[Parental Emotion Socialization, Emotion Regulation and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescence: The Role of Family Cohesion

White and Black parents' emotion coaching beliefs: Differential associations with preschooler's behavioral problem tendencies.

Parents' emotion coaching beliefs, a validated construct in majority White samples emphasizing the value of expressing and teaching about emotion, generally predict positive outcomes among White children. However, a racially and culturally sensitive emotion socialization model suggests a need for further understanding of this construct and potential differential outcomes among different racial groups. This study investigated three-way interactions among parental emotion coaching beliefs, toddlers' baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and child race (Black or White), in predicting preschoolers' behavioral problem tendencies 1 year later. Participants included 204 children (140 White and 64 Black) and their families, recruited from low-income, rural areas. When children were 2, child baseline RSA was collected, and both parents answered questionnaires concerning their emotion coaching beliefs. When children were 3, mothers answered questions about child behavioral problem tendencies. Path analyses revealed a three-way interaction among paternal emotion coaching beliefs, child baseline RSA, and race, in predicting child internalizing tendencies 1 year later. In particular, among Black children, paternal emotion coaching beliefs showed a double-edged effect. It predicted lower internalizing tendencies when child baseline RSA was low, but higher internalizing tendencies when child baseline RSA was high. These associations were not found among White children. Maternal emotion coaching beliefs predicted lower internalizing tendencies regardless of child race and RSA. Findings were discussed in the context of an expanded emotion socialization model, with significant implications for furthering conceptualization and clinical practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

'How is our job affecting us?' Neonatal Intensive Care Unit healthcare providers and their pregnancy: A descriptive qualitative study.

The aim of this study was to understand the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) healthcare providers' (HCPs) experiences and needs during their own past, present and desired pregnancies. It has been reported that HCPs' personal and professional lives are mutually interconnected. Given the NICU HCPs' knowledge of the risks and potential adverse outcomes of newborns admitted to the NICU, their pregnancy experience may be more challenging than that of the general population. However, to date, these aspects are still little studied. A qualitative descriptive study design was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between January and April 2021 in a single third-level NICU in northeastern Italy. Transcripts were analysed using inductive content analysis. Findings are reported according to the COREQ guidelines. Nineteen HCPs participated in this study. Participants included 12 nurses, 6 medical doctors, and 1 paediatric physical therapist. All participants reported that their professional knowledge and experience influenced their pregnancy-related experiences, emotions and behaviours. Some participants employed adaptive coping strategies, while others were likely to experience post-traumatic stress reactions. The narratives of the men and women were similar. Three themes were identified: 'Feeling different'; 'Influence of work experience on decision-making'; 'Coping with difficulties'. To reduce the potential impact of NICU HCPs' work experience on pregnancy, family functioning and infant health, management of parental emotions should be considered for this population. Hospital managers could prevent the potential distress of vulnerable NICU healthcare workers during pregnancy by tailoring interventions aimed at supporting them in becoming aware and making sense of their work experiences or sensitizing individual psychological support. Moreover, university students should be offered self-help strategies to face potential dual role conflicts in their future careers. No patient or public contribution.

Parental Emotion Socialization, Emotion Regulation and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescence: The Role of Family Cohesion

This study explored the effect of parental emotion socialization behavior (ESB) on depressive symptoms with a focus on the mediating effect of emotion regulation and the moderating role of family cohesion. A total of 236 Chinese adolescents were surveyed and reported on parental ESB, family cohesion, emotion dysregulation, and depressive symptoms. The results indicated that parental ESB toward negative emotions was associated with adolescents’ depressive symptoms, as mediated by emotion dysregulation. Moreover, higher levels of family cohesion both enhanced the negative relationships between supportive ESB toward anger/sadness and emotion dysregulation and strengthened the positive relationship between non-supportive parental ESB toward sadness and emotion dysregulation. These findings clarify the interactive effects of multiple components of emotional parenting, reveal the double-edged effects of family cohesion in the association between parental ESB and depressive symptoms in adolescents, and highlight the importance of evaluating the family emotional context in research and clinical interventions.

Assessing the effectiveness and the mechanisms of the Social-Emotional Prevention Program for Preschoolers: Findings from a universal school-based intervention

The Social-Emotional Prevention Program (SEP) encompasses a multifaceted approach (classroom curriculum, with teacher and parent training) intended to increase preschool children's social adjustment, as well as to reduce risk of emotional and behavioral problems. The present study's focus was on implementing the technology-assisted SEP version and was aimed at (a) investigating the program's effectiveness on children's social-emotional competencies and parental practices, as well as (b) testing the program's conceptual framework, with an emphasis on children's emotion regulation (ER) skills and parental emotion socialization practices as explanatory intervention mechanisms. A randomized-controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with five schools assigned to either the intervention or to a comparison condition (wait-list control). Structural equation models (SEM) and complier average causal effects (CACE) were conducted to evaluate SEP effectiveness on teacher- and parent-rated child outcomes (primary outcomes) and parenting behaviors (secondary outcomes). Findings from the present study indicated that (a) SEP fosters increased social-emotional competencies and increased use of adaptive ER strategies, with teacher and parent ratings converging to support these outcomes; (b) parental participation in the program increased the use of reappraisal and emotion coaching strategies; and (c) children's ER mediated the intervention's effect on social competence, whereas parental coaching and parental ER mediated SEP effects on children's ER. This study's findings suggest that the SEP may be an effective universal intervention for promoting preschoolers' social-emotional competence and may provide emerging evidence to support the program's hypothesized mechanisms of change.

How does parental emotion regulation influence Chinese migrant children's resilience? The chain mediating role of self-efficacy and hope.

To examine the chain mediating role of self-efficacy and hope in the relationship between parental emotion regulation and migrant children's resilience, the study investigated 745 migrant children (mean age = 12.9, SD = 1.5, 371 boys) from four schools and their parents in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China. All children were asked to complete the Adolescent Resilience Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Children's Hope Scale. Their parents completed the Parental Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling showed that parental emotion regulation could not only directly influence children's resilience but also indirectly influence it through two paths: the independent mediating role of self-efficacy and the chain mediating role of self-efficacy and hope. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how parental emotion regulation influences migrant children's resilience and provide important practical guidance for enhancing migrant children's resilience.

Duygu düzenlemenin aile bağlamında incelenmesi: Türkiye'den karma yöntemli bir çalışma

Individuals use different strategies dealing with their negative emotions and these strategies are associated with various adjustment outcomes. In the family context, parental emotion regulation strategies are also linked to the children’s emotion regulation. One aim of the current study was to examine the type of emotion regulation strategies used by parents in the Turkish cultural context. Another aim was to exploratorily investigate whether parents’ emotion regulation processes emerge in a way that predicts their children’s emotion dysregulation. One hundred seven families that had a child attending primary school participated in this study. We conducted semi-structured interviews with the parents at their homes. Child emotion dysregulation was also measured with the Emotion Regulation Checklist. Based on content analysis, the findings revealed four main themes showing a converging pattern among parents, namely non-confrontation, proactive strategies, metacognitive strategies, and dysregulated expression. In the subsequent quantitative part of the study, parental adaptiveness scores for emotion regulation strategies were calculated to examine relationships with children’s emotion dysregulation. The findings of separate hierarchical regression analyses for mothers and fathers indicated that the maternal, but not paternal, adaptiveness level in emotion regulation significantly predicted the child’s emotion dysregulation after controlling for parental education and the child’s age and gender. These qualitative and quantitative findings could contribute to the literature by drawing a comprehensive picture of emotion regulation in the family context in Turkey.

The role of parent and peer emotion socialization and emotion regulation in the development of internalizing problems in adolescents

Adolescence is a dynamic period for the development of emotion regulation skills. Difficulties in emotion regulation are an important predictor of risk for internalizing problems. Parents and peers play an important role in both emotion regulation (ER) skills and the development of internalizing problems, however, few studies have examined their influence concurrently using longitudinal data. This study investigated the impact of parent and peer emotion socialization and adolescent ER on adolescent (N = 213; aged 13 to 14 years old) internalizing problems 11 months later, as reported by adolescents. Results indicated peer but not parent emotion socialization predicted adolescent internalizing problems. Moreover, adolescent difficulties in ER at baseline moderated the impact of peer emotion socialization on adolescent internalizing problems. The findings highlight peer emotion dismissing responses impact internalizing problems, especially if adolescents also report difficulties in ER, underscoring the importance of prevention during earlier developmental periods.