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What ensues from emotional distress? Implications for competence estimation
Eva M Pomerantz1, Karen D Rudolph
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. 61820, USA. pomerntz@uiuc.edu
Child Development
|April 23, 2003
Summary
Emotional distress in children leads to negative self-views, which then lower their competence estimation. These negative beliefs mediate the impact of distress on children's development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Emotional Health
Background:
- While precursors to emotional distress are understood, its consequences, particularly on competence estimation, are less clear.
- Understanding the trajectory of emotional distress is crucial for child development research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the process through which emotional distress influences children's estimation of their own competence.
- To examine the longitudinal relationship between emotional distress, self-beliefs, and competence estimation in children.
Main Methods:
- A 3-wave longitudinal study over 12 months involving 932 children aged 9–13 (grades 4–6).
- Assessment of emotional distress, self-perceptions, world-views, and competence estimation.
Main Results:
- Emotional distress longitudinally predicted negative beliefs about the self and the world.
- These negative beliefs, in turn, predicted decreased competence estimation over time.
- Negative self- and world-views acted as mediators in the pathway from emotional distress to competence underestimation.
Conclusions:
- Emotional distress negatively impacts children's development by fostering negative beliefs.
- These beliefs subsequently lead to underestimation of competence, highlighting a critical developmental pathway.
- Interventions targeting negative beliefs may mitigate the adverse effects of emotional distress on children's self-perception.
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