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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Developmental risk and young children's regulatory strategies: predicting behavior problems at age five
Emily D Gerstein1, Anita Pedersen Y Arbona, Keith A Crnic
1Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104, USA. Emily.Gerstein@asu.edu
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|November 26, 2010
Summary
Children with developmental delays show more maladaptive coping strategies, increasing their risk for behavior problems. Early intervention focusing on emotional regulation may mitigate these risks.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Children with early developmental delays face increased risks for behavioral issues and co-occurring psychopathology.
- Understanding the development of regulatory capabilities is crucial for identifying at-risk children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the developmental trajectories of regulatory capabilities in preschool children.
- To investigate the mediating role of regulatory strategies in the link between early developmental delays and behavior problems.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study involving 231 preschool children (ages 3-5), including 137 typically developing and 94 with developmental delays.
- Assessment of regulatory strategy use (adaptive vs. maladaptive) during mildly frustrating laboratory tasks.
- Analysis of the mediating effect of strategy use on the relationship between developmental risk and externalizing behaviors.
Main Results:
- Children with developmental delays exhibited higher use of maladaptive strategies (e.g., distraction, distress venting) and lower use of adaptive strategies (e.g., constructive coping) compared to typically developing peers.
- Both groups showed similar growth trajectories in strategy use over time, with maladaptive strategies decreasing and adaptive strategies increasing.
- The initial level (intercept) of strategy use, not the rate of change (slope), mediated the association between developmental risk and externalizing behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Early developmental delays are associated with distinct patterns of emotion regulation strategies.
- Dysregulation in regulatory capabilities, particularly the initial level of strategy use, appears to be a key factor linking developmental risk to externalizing behaviors.
- Findings suggest that interventions targeting emotional regulation may be critical for reducing psychopathology in children with developmental delays.
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