Regulatory Pathways of Child Social-Emotional Competencies: An Exploratory Structural Equation Model

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Social, Emotional, Personality

Abstract

Introduction
Young children from families with low incomes are at heightened risk for exposure to violence (VEX; Briggs-Gowan et al, 2010), with pursuant risk across development. Extant literature supports that child self-regulation is both directly impacted by VEX (McCoy, 2013) and a mechanism between child VEX and child outcomes (Cicchetti, 2010; Perkins & Grahm-Berman, 2012); this literature has typically focused on specific psychopathology rather than broader models including adaptive social-emotional competencies. Additionally, evidence suggests that self-regulation is not a unitary phenomenon and is better represented by distinct dimensions of hot self-regulation (HSR), reflecting modulations in response to emotionally salient demands, and cool self-regulation (CSR), reflecting goal-directed processes in response to emotionally neutral demands (Willoughby, Kupersmidt, Voegler-lee, & Bryant, 2011; Smith-Donaldson, Raver, Hayes & Richardson, 2007). We sought to extend current knowledge of HSR and CSR in the context of VEX, examining VEX’s associations with child social-emotional competencies, specifically social skills and emotion knowledge, as well as associations with regulatory pathways.

Methods
Participants were preschoolers (M=51.36 months; SD=9.14; Range=3-5 years; n = 174) and mothers recruited from agencies serving low-income families, oversampled for VEX. Mothers completed a VEX interview (Exposure to Violence Inventory) and a report of social skills (Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scale), while children performed self-regulatory (Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment) and emotion recognition tasks (Assessment of Children’s Emotion Scale).

Results
A two-factor measurement model of self-regulation demonstrated good fit (Figure 1). A structural equation model then estimated associations between VEX and self-regulation, as well as direct and indirect effects of VEX on emotion knowledge and social skills, via dimensions of self-regulation, covarying age (Figure 2). VEX was negatively associated with the distal outcome of social skills, but not emotion knowledge. VEX was not associated with HSR. Unexpectedly, VEX was significantly, positively associated with CSR (Figure 2). Additionally, we tested direct and indirect effects of VEX, HSR and CSR, and emotion knowledge and social skills using the MODEL INDIRECT command in MPlus. A significant, negative direct effect was observed between VEX and social skills (Figure 2); indirect effects were non-significant. For emotion knowledge, a significant indirect effect from VEX was observed via CSR (Figure 2); no significant direct effect was observed. Multigroup model testing suggested patterns did not vary across sex.

Discussion
Child VEX was associated with decrements in social skills, but not emotion knowledge. CSR acted as a compensatory competency that attunes in the face of VEX. Though unexpected, this finding aligns with literature linking child VEX and attuned perceptual sensitivity, as orienting and alerting attention are key components of CSR (Pollak, 2008; Blair, 2014). Further, results suggest that CSR is the driving regulatory dimension in relation to social-emotional capacities, directly and significantly linked to emotion knowledge and social skills. Lastly, and unexpectedly, an indirect effect was observed between VEX, CSR, and emotion knowledge, suggesting that CSR is a protective pathway for emotion knowledge in the context of VEX. Findings highlight the importance of looking at self-regulatory pathways and social-emotional competencies as adaptable skills in the context of early VEX.

Authors

• Victoria Ross Parker, University of Toronto
  Presenting Author

• Erin Glackin, Tulane University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah A.O. Gray, Tulane University
  Non-Presenting Author