Boredom and Boredom Coping in Early Childhood: A Mixed-Methods Study

• In Event: Conceptual and Methodological Advances in Emotion Regulation Development

Abstract

Boredom is a negative emotion that arises in mundane or meaningless tasks. While most people experience boredom on occasion, some people, high in trait boredom, experience it more frequently or are unable to tolerate it. There are two types of trait boredom, each associated with self-regulatory processes. The first type is boredom proneness which is associated with behavioral inhibition (i.e., withdraw, fear of novelty) and poor executive function. The second type is boredom susceptibility which is defined as an inability to tolerate mundane activities and is associated with behavioral activation (i.e., approach toward novelty). In adolescents and adults, trait boredom is associated with more risk taking, depression, anxiety, and substance use. We do not know when trait boredom emerges in childhood or how children learn to cope. This understanding is important for preventing negative outcomes associated boredom later in development. This study is the first to investigate boredom in early childhood. The goal was to test whether the links between self-regulation and boredom are present in 4- to 6-year-old children (N = 113) and identify strategies children use to cope with boredom.

This study used a mixed method approach. First, a semi-structured interview provided a description from parents of their child’s experiences of boredom. Interviews were coded for the child’s social strategies (e.g., social play), behavioral strategies (e.g., switching activities), attentional deployment (e.g., distraction), and cognitive reappraisal (e.g., reframing activity). Parent-report instruments were used to measure trait boredom, trait levels of Behavioral Activation System (BAS) and Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) activity (BAS/BIS; Vervoort et al., 2019), and temperament (CBQ; Putnam & Rothbart, 2006). Behavioral tasks were used to measure executive function.

Results revealed a similar presentation of trait boredom as observed in adulthood. Specifically, children high in boredom susceptibility were also rated higher in behavioral activation, r = .32 (all ps <.05), whereas children who were high in boredom proneness were higher in negative affect, r = .30. No relations between behavioral measures of executive function and boredom were observed. However, more boredom proneness was related to lower levels of parent-report of effortful control, r = -.23, which may be more sensitive to children’s self-control in real world settings. Most children (97%) used social stimulation strategies (e.g., playing/fighting with siblings), as well as behavioral strategies (85.50%; reading books, playing with toys) to cope with boredom. Further, children high in both types of trait boredom relied more on social strategies, which suggests less autonomy in their ability to regulate boredom.

This study yielded two insights about the emergence of boredom in childhood. First, trait boredom is present during early childhood and associated with self-regulatory processes in the same way as adolescents and adults, which means efforts to prevent negative outcomes associated with boredom should begin early in development. Second, this study identified strategies that children use to cope with boredom. This may be used to inform parents and teachers working to help children develop healthy boredom coping skills, which might help prevent negative outcomes associated with boredom later in development.

Author

• Alana J Anderson, OMNI Institute
  Presenting Author