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Updated: Jun 16, 2026
08:09
Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Emotion Regulation and Attachment: Unpacking Two Constructs and Their Association
Sara F Waters1, Elita A Virmani, Ross A Thompson
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616 USA.
Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment
|February 23, 2010
Summary
Secure attachment in young children supports better emotion regulation. Securely attached children discuss negative feelings more openly when mothers validate their emotions, promoting emotional understanding.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Emotion regulation is crucial for child development.
- Attachment security influences socio-emotional development.
- Understanding the interplay between attachment and emotion regulation is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between attachment security and emotion regulation processes in young children.
- To explore how maternal validation and child's emotion understanding relate to attachment security.
Main Methods:
- Observation of 73 4 1/2-year-olds and their mothers during a frustration task.
- Independent interviews with mothers and children regarding the child's emotional state.
- Analysis of mother-child conversations about negative emotions.
Main Results:
- Secure attachment correlated with higher mother-child agreement on emotions.
- Securely attached children avoided discussing negative feelings less often, especially with validating mothers.
- Children's emotion understanding was linked to better mother-child emotional concordance and less avoidance.
Conclusions:
- Attachment security significantly influences children's emotion regulation strategies.
- Maternal validation of emotions and children's emotion understanding are key factors in developing healthy emotion regulation.
- Findings highlight the multifaceted role of attachment in shaping children's emotional development.
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