Poster #139 - The assessment of emotion regulation strategies in preschool children: a systematic search

• In Event: Poster Session 01

Abstract

The knowledge about children's emotion regulation (ER) abilities is essential to understanding normative emotional development and is relevant to investigate the pathways to psychopathology. The strategy-specific assessments of ER have contributed to understanding the adaptive function of emotion management that might be more effective at changing some affective states compared to other strategies that can be maladaptive. During preschool age, the knowledge of emotion regulation strategies occurs from three to four years old. At this stage, we assume that understanding appropriate and effective regulatory strategies enhance actual behavioral self-regulation in an emotionally challenging situation. Considering that the rate of publications in preschoolers' ER has increased in the past decades, it requires work to summarize data concerning how researchers approach inquiries about ER processes in preschool children and if strategy use is a relevant point of attention. For this study, we aimed to review ER strategies used in assessments with preschool children. This study is part of a scoping review that collates information about ER measures for children. We carried out a systematic search of two electronic databases (Scopus and PsycINFO), considering publications from January 2015 to January 2021. We included empirical studies, which provided at least one ER measure for children, and studies of development or evaluation of psychometric properties of ER measures for children. Theoretical studies, literature reviews, meta-analyses, and studies that were not in English-, Portuguese- and Spanish-language were excluded. We extracted a total of 2668 articles. After removing all duplications (562) and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 906 studies were eligible for full-text revision. From that, we selected 175 studies that contained a self- or other-report ER measure and children up to 6 years old in the sample. For the analysis, we extracted the name of the measure, the mode of assessment (child-, parent-, teacher-, or other-report), the ER ability assessed (strategy use or other), and the name of the strategies. Results show 18 (4,6%) studies with 14 relevant ER strategies measures for preschool children. 57,1% of the measures were based on parent-report, and 35,7% on child-report. We identified 23 strategies described through the ER measures. Most frequently cited were problem-solving (10), distraction (9), cognitive reappraisal (9), social support seeking (6), venting (6), aggressive behavior (5), and suppression of emotional expression (5). Results emphasized that most measures evaluate ER abilities but not the strategy repertoire. Parent-report is still prevalent for preschooler assessment, but children's direct knowledge and understanding are also pertinent for a comprehensive evaluation, encouraging a multimodal approach. Future studies that highlight the developmental trajectories of ER strategies with relevant children measures can facilitate the identification of age-appropriate intervention targets.

Authors

• Aline Riboli Marasca, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)

• Fabiano da Silva Ciochetta

• César Augusto Marques dos Santos

• Denise R Bandeira, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
  Presenting Author