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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
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Child Distress Expression and Regulation Behaviors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Hannah G Gennis1, Oana Bucsea1, Shaylea D Badovinac1

  • 1Department of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 25, 2022
PubMed

Insights

This meta-analysis examined child distress expression and regulation behaviors in early childhood. The second year of life showed the strongest associations between distress expression and regulation strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Behavior Studies
  • Emotional Regulation Research

Background:

  • Understanding how infants and toddlers express and manage distress is crucial for healthy development.
  • Early life experiences shape long-term emotional and behavioral outcomes.
  • Distress expression and regulation behaviors are foundational for social-emotional competence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review and meta-analyze the literature on the relationship between child distress expression behaviors and distress regulation behaviors.
  • To examine these relationships across the first three years of life.
  • To identify developmental trends in the association between distress expression and regulation.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive literature search was conducted across Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO databases.
  • Thirty-one studies meeting inclusion criteria were selected for meta-analysis, assessing concurrent associations.
  • Nine separate meta-analyses were performed, stratified by child age and specific regulation behavior clusters.

Main Results:

  • Significant correlations were found between distress expression and regulation behaviors, varying by age and regulation type.
  • The second year of life demonstrated the strongest associations across most regulation strategies.
  • Weighted mean correlations ranged from -0.44 (disengagement of attention, year 2) to 0.25 (self-soothing, year 2).

Conclusions:

  • The interplay between distress expression and regulation strategies evolves significantly during the first three years of life.
  • The second year is a critical period for the development of coordinated distress expression and regulation.
  • Future research should explore longitudinal and naturalistic data to further elucidate these complex relationships.

Keywords:
behaviordistressemotion regulationinfanttoddler

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