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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Parental negative control moderates the shyness-emotion regulation pathway to school-age internalizing symptoms
Xin Feng1, Daniel S Shaw, Kristin L Moilanen
1Department of Human Development and Family Science, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, 171B Campbell Hall, 1787 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1220, USA. xfeng@ehe.osu.edu
Abstract:
Models of developmental psychopathology emphasize both mediation and moderation processes among child and caregiving attributes; however, little research has examined both these processes simultaneously on the development of internalizing problems. This study tested a moderated mediation model that related early childhood shyness, emotion regulation and maternal negative control to school-age internalizing problems among 257 boys from low-income families. Shyness and maternal negative control was assessed at ages 1.5-2, emotion regulation was observed at age 3.5, and internalizing symptoms were assessed by mothers and teachers at age 6 or 7. Results indicated that 1) the active distraction regulation strategy mediated the relations between early shyness and maternal report of internalizing symptoms; 2) the passive/dependent regulation strategy mediated the relations between shyness and teacher report of internalizing symptoms; and 3) both mediation processes were moderated by maternal negative control. The results are discussed in relation to implications for early prevention and intervention.
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