Individual differences in trajectories of emotion regulation processes: The effects of maternal depressive symptomatology and children's physiological regulation.

Abstract

Trajectories of emotion regulation processes were examined in a community sample of 269 children across the ages of 4 to 7 using hierarchical linear modeling. Maternal depressive symptomatology (Symptom Checklist-90) and children's physiological reactivity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) and vagal regulation (ΔRSA) were explored as predictors of individual differences in trajectories of emotion regulation and negativity (mother-reported Emotion Regulation Checklist; A. M. Shields & D. Cicchetti, 1997). In addition, the authors explored whether children's physiological regulation would moderate the effect of maternal depressive symptomatology on children's emotion regulation trajectories. Results indicated that over time, emotion regulation increased whereas negativity decreased, though considerable individual variability in the pattern of change was observed. Greater maternal depressive symptomatology was associated with less steep emotion regulation trajectories. There was a significant Maternal Depressive Symptomatology × Baseline RSA × Age interaction predicting emotion regulation trajectories. Overall, it appears that the development of emotion regulation over time is compromised when mothers report greater depressive symptomatology. There is also evidence that children's capacity for physiological regulation can buffer some of the adverse consequences associated with maternal depressive symptomatology.Keywords emotion regulation and reactivity; maternal depressive symptomatology; respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)The ability to regulate one's emotions is a critical achievement attained during childhood that has important implications for many dimensions of children's development (Calkins & Howse, 2004;Eisenberg et al., 2001;Sroufe, 1996). Research suggests that deficits in emotion Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Alysia Y. Blandon, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC 27402. E-mail: ayblando@uncg.edu. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptDev Psychol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2009 July 1. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript regulation and higher levels of negativity in emotional expression are linked to greater levels of behavior problems, difficulties with peers, and later psychopathology (Calkins, Gill, Johnson, & Smith, 1999;Eisenberg et al., 2001;Keenan, 2000;Shipman, Schneider, & Brown, 2004). Conversely, a greater capacity for emotion regulation has been linked to better academic achievement (Gumora & Arsenio, 2002;Howse, Calkins, Anastopoulos, Keane, & Shelton, 2003) and social skills . Overall, research indicates that the greatest risk for poor psychosocial outcomes occurs when children are highly reactive in emotionally arousing situations, tend to be negative rather than positive in their expressiveness, and have not developed adaptive strategies for managing their emotions (Calkins, Smith, Gill, & Johnson, 1998;Eisenberg, Fabes, Guthrie, & Reiser, 20...

The Emotion Regulation Checklist – Italian translation. Validation of parent and teacher versions

“…Reliability was modest but, as showed in Table 3, this datum was in line with those of other studies using the ERC as a parent-report instrument (Blandon et al, 2008), confirming the correspondence with the original version of t he instrument. Nevertheless, this result should be further deepen in order to control the item dimensionality.…”

“…Study 2 (Sample 2; n=910) .79 .90 (Blandon, Calkins, Keane, & O'Brien, 2008). parents .59-.66 .84-.87 Validation study (Shields & Cicchetti, 1997) teachers .83 .96 Note.…”

“…The instrument EMOTION REGULATION CHECKLIST has been widely used in research on emotion regulation in childhood, investigating how it is affected by maltreatment and mothers' mental health; analyzing the relationships with resilience, emotions, and appropriate social behaviours; exploring its role for children's mental health (e.g., Blandon, Calkins, Keane, & O'Brien, 2008;Curtis & Cicchetti, 2007;Kim, Cicchetti, Rogosch, & Manly, 2009;Onchwari & Keengwe, 2011;Shields & Cicchetti, 1998;Suveg & Zeman, 2004). The instrument has been translated and successfully used in different languages (e.g., Kapçi, Uslu, Akgün, & Acer, 2009).…”

Risco e regulação emocional em idade pré-escolar: a qualidade das interações dos educadores de infância como potencial moderador

“…Pelo contrário, as crianças com dificuldade em regular os seus estados emocionais poderão estar menos disponíveis para as atividades da sala e ter mais dificuldade em aproveitar as situações de aprendizagem, uma vez que uma ineficiente regulação emocional pode impedir a criança de usar processos cognitivos de ordem superior na sala (Blair, 2002;Howse et al, 2003). Durante o período pré-escolar, as crianças parecem ser progressivamente mais capazes de usar estratégias de regulação emocional que lhes permitem controlar melhor a sua reatividade face a situações desafiantes (Blandon, Calkins, Keane, & O'Brien, 2008). Compreender que fatores, quer positivos quer negativos, influenciam o desenvolvimento da regulação emocional neste período crucial pode, assim, revelar-se extremamente importante para a intervenção e a prevenção.…”

Diversity in Unity: Perspectives from Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

“…Maternal stress affects their actions. The mothers tend to be more controlling, give negative feedbacks, and show aggressive behaviors towards their children (Rice, 1999;Blandon, Calkins, Keane & O'Brien, 2008). Maternal stress also correlates with less warmth and inductive discipline techniques during a mother-child interaction (Choe, Olson & Sameroff, 2013).…”