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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Family Stress Processes and Children's Self-Regulation
Chelsea A K Duran1, Elizabeth Cottone1, Erik A Ruzek1
1University of Virginia.
Child Development
|December 27, 2018
Summary
Financial strain and caregiver stress impact child development. Increased child-caregiver conflict mediates negative effects on executive function, while financial strain directly impacts delay of gratification in young children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Family Studies
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Economic hardship poses risks to child development.
- Child-caregiver interactions can mediate family stress effects.
- Self-regulatory skills are crucial for children's long-term outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how financial strain, caregiver stress, and child-caregiver conflict relate to child self-regulatory outcomes.
- To investigate the mediating role of child-caregiver conflict in the effects of family stress on child development.
- To understand the direct impact of financial strain on executive function and delay of gratification.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 343 children aged 5-7 years in a high-poverty sample.
- Measured financial strain, caregiver general stress, and child-caregiver conflict at two time points.
- Assessed child self-regulatory outcomes, including executive function and delay of gratification.
Main Results:
- Increased child-caregiver conflict mediated negative associations between family stress processes and executive function development.
- Increased financial strain showed a direct negative association with delay of gratification development.
- Financial strain did not significantly mediate the relationship between other family stress processes and children's outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Child-caregiver interactions, particularly conflict, play a significant role in mediating the impact of economic hardship on children's executive function.
- Financial strain has a direct detrimental effect on the development of delay of gratification.
- Findings highlight the need for interventions supporting low-income families to mitigate the effects of economic stress on child self-regulation.
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