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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
08:09

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

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Preschool self regulation predicts later mental health and educational achievement in very preterm and typically

Lianne J Woodward1,2, Zhigang Lu1, Alyssa R Morris1

  • 1a Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine , Brigham and Women's Hospital & Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA.

The Clinical Neuropsychologist
|November 2, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Preschoolers with emotional and behavioral regulation difficulties face higher risks for mental health and educational problems later in life. Early assessment of regulation aids in identifying at-risk children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Preschool emotional and behavioral regulation difficulties are potential early indicators of later adverse outcomes.
  • Understanding the predictive value of early regulation for mental health and educational problems is crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between preschool emotional and behavioral regulatory difficulties and later mental health and educational problems.
  • To determine if early regulatory abilities predict later risk, independent of baseline behavioral adjustment and cognitive function.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective longitudinal study of 223 children (110 very preterm, 113 full-term).
  • Regulatory abilities assessed at ages 2 and 4 years via observation, Emotion Regulation Checklist, and behavioral ratings during testing.
  • Mental health and educational achievement assessed at age 9 years using the Development and Well-being Assessment and Woodcock Johnson-III Tests of Achievement.

Main Results:

  • Very preterm-born children exhibited poorer regulation and higher rates of mental health disorders and educational delay at age 9.
  • Poorer self-regulation predicted increased risk for ADHD, conduct disorder, anxiety disorders, and any disorder, even after accounting for preschool behavior and social risk.
  • Early regulation predicted later language and educational delay after adjusting for cognitive function and social risk.

Conclusions:

  • Early assessment of emotional and behavioral regulation, alongside behavioral screening, can enhance the early identification of preschool children at mental health risk.
  • Identifying regulatory difficulties in early childhood is vital for predicting and mitigating future mental health and educational challenges.
Abstract

Keywords:
Very pretermearly childhoodeducationemotionlow birth weightmental healthoutcomeregulation

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