Developmental patterns of emotion regulation in toddlerhood: Examining predictors of change and long‐term resilience

Abstract

Emotion regulation is critical for optimal functioning across a wide range of domains and may be even more important for individuals in high‐risk environments. While evidence suggests that childhood is generally a period of emotion regulation growth and development, research is needed to examine factors that may contribute to deviations from a typical trajectory. In a prospective study of 1,905 children, latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to identify trajectory groups of emotion regulation across toddlerhood (age 14–36 months), examine predictors of those trajectory groups from child temperament, parenting behaviors, and environmental risk, and explore predictions of resilience in 5th grade from the identified groups. LGCA supported a three‐class model, with a Stable Incline group, a Decline group, and a Catch‐Up group. Child negative emotionality, positive and negative parenting, and environmental risk predicted group membership. These trajectory groups in toddlerhood were predictive of child resilient functioning in the 5th grade. Our findings highlight the importance of utilizing developmental models of emotion regulation and provide implications for prevention and early intervention services to enhance emotion regulation development in early childhood.

Maternal alcohol dependence symptoms, maternal insensitivity to children’s distress, and young children’s blunted emotional reactivity

“…Importantly, individual differences impact the nature and trajectory of the development of emotional reactivity processes (Mauss et al, 2005;Noroña-Zhou & Tung, 2021). Specifically, there is much variability in the factors that influence the development and trajectory of emotional reactivity (Calkins, 1994;Cole et al, 1996;Davidson, 1998;Eman et al, 2019;Panlilio et al, 2020;Picoito et al, 2021), with age and developmental period and developmental environment being some of the common factors that have been studied (Banerjee, 1997;Lincoln et al, 2017;Picoito et al, 2021;Sanchis-Sanchis et al, 2020;Zimmer-Gembeck & Skinner, 2016).…”