Negative Emotionality Moderates the Relation Between Effortful Control and Child Anxiety and Depression Symptom Severity

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Topic - Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

Introduction: Research has found that greater effortful control—a temperament trait defined as the ability to inhibit an impulsive reaction in favor of a response that better aligns with one’s long-term goals—is related to lower internalizing symptoms among clinically anxious youth (Raines et al., 2019). In contrast, negative emotionality, defined as the propensity to experience negative emotions with increased frequency and intensity, is associated with increased levels of internalizing difficulties. Thus, whether effortful control remains a protective factor among clinically anxious youth who are high in negative emotionality remains an open question. The present investigation hypothesized that among clinically anxious youth high in negative emotionality, greater effortful control would be related to lower anxiety and depressive symptom severity. Method: A sample of clinically anxious children (N = 105; Mage = 10.09 years, SD = 1.22; 56.7% female; 49% ethnic minority) and their mothers completed a diagnostic interview and a battery of questionnaires that included self- and mother-ratings of child effortful control, negative emotionality, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Results: Hayes’ (2012) PROCESS modeling was used to examine the moderating effect of negative emotionality on the relation between effortful control and anxiety and depression symptom severity. The overall models for anxiety, F (3, 101) = 38.08, p < .001, and depression, F (3, 101) = 31.21, p < .001, were significant. The interaction between effortful control and negative emotionality was also significant when predicting anxiety, B = -7.13, p = .030; ∆R2 = .023, and depression, B = -1.87, p = .041; ∆R2 = .022. Simple slopes analyses further revealed that in the context of high negative emotionality, greater effortful control was related to lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Discussion: Among clinically anxious children with high negative emotionality, greater effortful control was related to less severe anxiety and depressive symptoms. Future work should evaluate whether targeting effortful control – a malleable construct – leads to reductions in internalizing symptoms in these children.

Authors

• Elizabeth Raines, University of Houston
  Presenting Author

• Karina Silva, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author

• Haley Conroy, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author

• Erika Trent, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author

• Andres Viana, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author