Poster #45 - Emotion regulation and externalizing behavior problems in adolescents with and without intellectual disabilities

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Developmental Disabilities

Integrative Statement

Adolescents with Mild to Borderline Intellectual Disabilities (MBID – IQ 50-85 and limited adaptive functioning) have a four times higher risk to develop externalizing problem behavior. However, little is known about the specific factors that contribute to this higher risk. For adolescents without intellectual disabilities, emotion regulation problems are established to be an important risk factor for externalizing behavior. Research shows that emotion regulation difficulties predict higher levels of aggressive behavior, whereas the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies (such as problem solving) are related to less externalizing behavior problems. Whether this is also the case for adolescents with MBID is still unknown as emotion regulation in adolescents with MBID is rarely studied. Therefore, the goal of the current study is to examine differences in emotion regulation between adolescents with externalizing behavior and MBID, and adolescents with externalizing behavior without intellectual disabilities. Moreover, we examined whether the strength of the relation between emotion regulation difficulties and externalizing problems differed for adolescents with MBID, compared to adolescents without intellectual disabilities.
Adolescents are recruited at Dutch residential care facilities and schools for special education. Adolescents are selected to participate in the study if they experience a (sub)clinical level of externalizing behavior problems (as reported on the externalizing behavior subscale of the CBCL or TRF). Moreover, diagnostic information and intelligence is assessed. Adolescents reported on their emotion regulation difficulties (DERS), their use of use of emotion regulations strategies (FEEL-KJ), and externalizing problems (YSR). Data collection is ongoing, but currently we have data from a sample of 28 adolescents with a mild to borderline intellectual disability (Mage 16.25, SD = 1.41) and 38 adolescents without an intellectual disability (Mage = 14.04, SD = 1.14). We expect to include data of 160 adolescents.
Preliminary results of an ANCOVA with externalizing problems as covariate, show that contrary to our expectations, adolescents with MBID score lower on difficulties in emotion regulation than adolescents without MBID (Table 1). There were no significant differences between the two groups in adaptive or maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. Next, we conducted a hierarchical linear regression analysis to examine whether group (MBID versus non-MBID)moderated the relation between difficulties in emotion regulation and externalizing problem behaviors (see Table 2).
Overall, preliminary results of results do not support the notion that the increased risk for adolescents with MBID to develop externalizing behavior problems is related to differences in emotion regulation. In fact, adolescents with MBID reported less difficulties in regulating their emotions than adolescents without intellectual disabilities. These results provide interesting directions for future research.

Authors

• Lysanne te Brinke, Utrecht University
  Presenting Author

• Hilde Schuiringa, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ankie Menting, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bram O. De Castro, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maja Dekovic, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author