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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
A systematic review of self-regulation measures in children: Exploring characteristics and psychometric properties
Yu-Wei Ryan Chen1, Nicolas Janicaud2, David Littlefair3
1Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Insights
Measuring children's self-regulation is complex. This review found existing tools for ages 1-18 have limited psychometric evaluation, especially for younger children, and lack measurement error assessment.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Science
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Self-regulation, crucial for child wellbeing, involves cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects.
- Consistent measurement of self-regulation is challenging due to varied definitions and conceptual complexities.
- Accurate assessment is vital for understanding long-term mental health trajectories in children and adolescents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and evaluate the psychometric properties of self-regulation measures for children and young people (1-18 years).
- To assess measurement tools across cognitive, behavioral, and emotional domains using the COSMIN taxonomy.
- To identify gaps in current measurement practices and inform future research directions.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review adhering to PRISMA guidelines, registered with PROSPERO.
- Searched six databases and grey literature for studies on psychometric properties of self-regulation measures.
- Evaluated 23 measures across cognitive, behavioral, and emotional domains against the COSMIN taxonomy.
Main Results:
- 48 studies reported on 23 self-regulation measures, with most relying on self-reports for ages 11-17.
- The Emotion Regulation Checklist was the most frequently studied measure.
- All reviewed measures exhibited limited psychometric evaluation, particularly concerning measurement error and content validity.
Conclusions:
- Existing self-regulation measures for children and adolescents have significant limitations in psychometric properties.
- There is a critical need for measures suitable for younger children and robust evaluation of measurement error and content validity.
- Future development should prioritize comprehensive and valid assessment tools to support effective interventions for child wellbeing.
Abstract:
Self-regulation, which encompasses cognitive, behavioural, and emotional domains, poses challenges in consistent measurement due to diverse definitions and conceptual complexities. In recognition of its profound impact on long-term mental health and wellbeing in children, this systematic review examined available self-regulation measures for children and young people between 1 and 18 years of age. The systematic review followed the COSMIN taxonomy and reported on the measurement tools' characteristics and psychometric properties. The methodology and reporting were guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and checklist. The protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO (Number CRD42020155809). A search of six databases (Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, CINAHL and ERIC) was performed, and grey literature was searched to identify studies on the psychometric properties of measures assessing all three domains (cognitive, behavioural, and emotional) of self-regulation. The types of psychometric properties were examined against the COSMIN taxonomy of measurement properties. A total of 15,583 studies were identified, and 48 of these met the criteria that reported psychometric properties of 23 self-regulation measures assessing all three domains of self-regulation. Most measures relied on self-reports for ages 11-17, and all had limited psychometric evaluation. The Emotion Regulation Checklist was the most studied measure. Notably, none of the studies evaluated measurement error. The content validity was inadequately evaluated, particularly in terms of comprehensiveness and comprehensibility. Future research should focus on developing measures for young children, evaluating measurement error, and enhancing content validity for comprehensive understanding and effective intervention.
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Authoritative...