Poster #133 - Cognitive flexibility and emotion regulation in residential care children of the middle childhood period

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Child abuse and neglect are associated with a host of psychological difficulties such as emotional, cognitive and behavioral problems (Lewis-Morarty et al., 2012; Teisl & Cicchetti, 2008; Gilbert et al., 2009). However, the mechanisms by which maltreatment, during the early years of development, has enduring effects on cognition and behavior are not well known. Studies show that emotion regulation competencies are a key factor in predicting developmental outcomes and behavioral problems (Hill et al., 2006). In particular, poor emotion regulation was found to mediate the association between maltreatment and higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Alink et al., 2009; Manly et al., 2001). In addition, childhood maltreatment has been associated with disruptions in executive functioning (Spann et al., 2012; Minzenberg et al., 2008), which have been described as key neurocognitive processes underlying self-regulation (Hum & Lewis, 2012). As they seem to affect the neurobiological structure (DeBellis, 2001), executive functioning deficits were associated to both less emotion regulation competencies and more behavior problems (Lawson et al., 2018). Of particular interest, maltreated children have shown decreased cognitive flexibility (Hugues et al., 2007) and less ability to regulate their emotions in a distressing situation (Curtis & Cicchetti, 2007). It is suggested that cognitive flexibility, one executive functioning dimension, could play a role in a child’s ability to regulate emotion. Emotion regulation may be the mechanism mediating the association between cognitive flexibility and child behavior. To date, few studies have investigated the relationship among these variables for children of the middle childhood period, whom were maltreated during the infancy and childhood periods. Yet, most of these children are likely to present such vulnerabilities (DePrince, Weinzierl & Combs, 2009). The current study aims to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between cognitive flexibility and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Fifty-three residential care children aged 8 to 12 and their group home educator, as their primary caregiver, were recruited in Québec, Canada. Educators completed questionnaires evaluating child behavior problems (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001), emotion regulation competencies (ERC; Shields & Cicchetti, 1997), and executive functioning (BRIEF; Gioia & Isquith, 2011). Child history of placement and maltreatment, as well as socio-demographic data were collected in the children’s CPS files. A path analysis using Mplus Version 8 (Muthén & Muthén, 2017) revealed that cognitive flexibility explained 12% of emotion regulation competencies, which in turn explained 25% of internalizing behaviors and 23% externalizing behaviors. The model had adequate fit (𝜒2(1) = 1.4, n.s; RMSEA: 0.08 IC [.04; .13]; CFI =0.98, SRMR=0.4). Emotion regulation was found to mediate the relationship between cognitive flexibility and internalizing behaviors (b= .17, 95% CI [.034; .35]). The mediation was partial for externalizing behaviors (b= .10, 95% CI [.02; .26]. These results suggest that interventions targeting emotion regulation and cognitive functioning could help attenuate the adverse effects of child abuse and neglect.

Authors

• Laetitia Mélissande Amédée, Université du Québec à Montréal
  Presenting Author

• Houria Benard, Université du Québec à Montréal
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laurence Cyr-Desautels, Université du Québec à Montréal
  Non-Presenting Author

• Karine Dubois-Comtois, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres
  Non-Presenting Author

• Martine Hébert, Université du Québec à Montréal
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chantal Cyr, University of Quebec at Montreal
  Non-Presenting Author