The study highlights the importance of emotional regulation in child development and its relationship with mental health and neurodevelopmental problems. Identifying children who are at risk based on their emotional development patterns can pave the way for earlier and more effective interventions, promoting a healthier future for these children.
Mental health and neurodevelopmental problems, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), internalizing problems, and conduct problems, are some of the most common challenges that affect children.
ADHD is characterized by difficulty maintaining attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behaviors. Internalizing problems, in turn, involve emotions such as anxiety and sadness, which mainly affect the child's inner world.
Conduct problems, on the other hand, are related to challenging behaviors, such as aggression, disobedience, and difficulty following rules. These three types of problems often appear together, forming a picture of emotional and behavioral difficulties that affect child development.
These problems, although common, are usually not diagnosed before school age. However, the first signs may be present in the first years of life. Therefore, identifying early markers that indicate the risk of developing these problems is crucial for preventive interventions.
This means that if children at risk can be identified early, it will be easier to provide support before problems become more serious.
In this context, an essential skill for healthy development is emotional regulation, which plays a central role in controlling emotional and behavioral reactions.
Emotional regulation is the ability to manage emotions in a way that is appropriate to the context. For example, a child who loses a game and can calm down quickly demonstrates good emotional regulation.
When this skill is absent or deficient, we have what is called emotional dysregulation. This manifests itself in exaggerated or inappropriate reactions, such as outbursts of anger, intense sadness, or uncontrolled euphoria.
Dysregulation can involve emotional lability (rapid and intense changes in mood) and an exaggerated focus on emotional stimuli, making it difficult to maintain emotional balance.
In addition, both negative and positive emotions can be dysregulated. For example, excessive joy that interferes with social interactions is also considered a sign of dysregulation.
The development of emotion regulation occurs gradually. At age 3, children are just beginning to develop this skill, and by age 7, it usually shows significant improvements, allowing greater control over emotions.
However, not all children follow this pattern. Some acquire these skills more slowly, while others may even show worsening emotional regulation skills over time. This variation in the rate of development can be an important indicator of risk for emotional and behavioral problems.
This study, conducted using data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), sought to investigate whether the development of emotion regulation between ages 3 and 7 is related to symptoms of ADHD, conduct problems, and internalizing problems at age 7.
This longitudinal study followed more than 14,000 children born in the United Kingdom between 2000 and 2002. Children’s emotion regulation was assessed at three-time points (at ages 3, 5, and 7), and symptoms of the aforementioned problems were measured at age 7. Data were collected through questionnaires completed by parents, which assessed how children managed their emotions and behaviors.
The results showed that children with higher levels of emotional dysregulation at age 3 were at higher risk of ADHD symptoms, conduct problems, and internalizing problems at age 7.
In addition, children who took longer to improve their emotional regulation skills over time were also more likely to develop these problems. This suggests that both initial levels of emotional dysregulation and the speed at which these skills develop are important predictors of mental health and neurodevelopmental problems.
The study also looked at differences between boys and girls. Although patterns of emotional dysregulation were associated with problems in both sexes, boys were found to be at higher risk of developing ADHD and conduct problems, while girls were more likely to develop internalizing problems such as anxiety and sadness.
These findings have important practical implications. Monitoring how children develop emotional regulation throughout early childhood can help parents, teachers, and health professionals identify early warning signs.
In addition, interventions that help children develop emotional regulation skills can be an effective strategy for preventing a wide range of emotional and behavioral problems. For example, activities that teach children to recognize and manage their emotions, such as self-control games or breathing techniques, can be incorporated into daily school and family life.
Another important point is to consider gender differences when designing interventions. Boys and girls may need different approaches to meet their specific needs.
This means that preventive strategies must take into account both common risk factors and the particularities of each group. In summary, the study highlights the importance of emotional regulation in child development and its relationship with mental health and neurodevelopmental problems.
Identifying children who are at risk based on their patterns of emotional development can pave the way for earlier and more effective interventions, promoting a healthier future for these children.
READ MORE:
Early emotion regulation developmental trajectories and ADHD, internalizing, and conduct problems symptoms in childhood.
Murray AL, Russell A, Calderón Alfaro FA.
Development and Psychopathology. Published online 2024:1-8.
doi:10.1017/S0954579424001263
Abstract:
Emotion dysregulation is considered a transdiagnostic factor with importance for a range of neurodevelopmental and mental health issues, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, internalizing problems, and conduct problems. Emotion regulation skills are acquired from early in life and are thought to strengthen gradually over childhood. Children, however, acquire these skills at different rates and slower acquisition may serve as a marker for neurodevelopmental and mental health issues. The current study uses the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a large longitudinal study to evaluate whether developmental trajectories of emotion regulation across ages 3, 5, and 7 predict levels of ADHD symptoms, internalizing problems, and conduct problems at age 7. Both higher initial levels of and slower reductions in emotion dysregulation across ages 3, 5, and 7 predicted higher ADHD symptoms, conduct problems, and internalizing problems at age 7 in both male and female children. Our findings suggest that monitoring trajectories of emotion regulation over development could help flag at-risk children. Additionally, supporting the acquisition of emotion regulation skills in this critical period could be a promising transdiagnostic preventive intervention.
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