Conceptualizing Emotion Regulation and Coregulation as Family-Level Phenomena

Momentary autonomic engagement during parent-adolescent conflict: Coping as a moderator of associations with emotions

Regulatory efforts are hypothesized to affect associations between emotions and physiology (i.e., concordance) to facilitate adaptive functioning. Assessing the role of coping on physiological-emotional concordance during ecologically relevant scenarios can elucidate whether concordance can serve as a biomarker of risk or resilience. The present study assessed self-reported coping as a moderator of minute-to-minute associations between autonomic nervous system activity and emotions (i.e., physiological-emotional concordance) in caregivers (N = 97) and adolescents (N = 97; ages 10-15) during a dyadic conflict task. Models included physiological variables (sympathetic, skin conductance level [SCL]; and parasympathetic, respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) and their interaction (SCL × RSA) as predictors of emotions, with coping variables as moderators. Caregivers' use of primary control coping (e.g., problem solving and emotional expression) and secondary control coping (e.g., cognitive reappraisal and acceptance) use in response to family stress predicted more positive emotional experiences during the laboratory conflict task. Adolescents' use of secondary control coping moderated the SCL-emotion association, such that increases in momentary SCL were associated with more positive emotion ratings for youth reporting higher secondary control coping. For youth who report more adaptive trait-level coping skills, momentary changes in SCL may reflect active engagement and attentiveness to facilitate more positive emotional experiences. Findings advance our understanding of the interrelationships between physiological responses and psychological experiences during relevant, interactive scenarios. Autonomic responses are differentially related to affective states depending on the coping strategies that adolescents employ, suggesting that concordance may be associated with intervention targets (i.e., coping skills).

Glee in threes: Positive affect synchrony in parent-infant triads is moderated by maternal hair cortisol and parenting stress

BACKGROUND

Positive affect synchrony, or the reciprocal exchange of positive affect during free play, can scaffold infants' socioemotional development. However, parental stress may compromise the expression and exchange of positive affect within families. The current study assesses whether parenting stress and hair cortisol are associated with positive affect synchrony during a triadic play interaction.

METHOD

Within 70 different-sex dyads consisting of first-time parents and their six-month-old infants who participated in a four-minute laboratory-based free-play task, facial affect of each member of the triad was observationally microcoded at the second-by-second level. Hair samples were collected from mothers and fathers for cortisol assay, and parents completed a self-report measure of parenting stress.

RESULTS

Using dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM), we found positive between-level and within-level affect synchrony across all family members, with one exception: infants' affect did not predict fathers' affect at the following timepoint. Mother-to-infant affect synchrony was greater in mothers with higher hair cortisol. Similarly, mothers with higher parenting stress tended to have greater infant-to-mother affect synchrony, and had infants that displayed less overall positive affect across the interaction.

CONCLUSION

We found evidence for bidirectional, time-lagged synchrony in the momentary positive affect of mothers, fathers, and infants. Maternal hair cortisol concentration and parenting stress seem to increase affect synchrony between mothers and infants- suggesting that parental stress may correlate with greater affective attunement, but less overall positive affect in infants.

Emotion Regulation Flexibility in Adolescents: A Systematic Review from Conceptualization to Methodology

Considerable attention has been devoted to the concept of flexible emotion regulation, which de-emphasizes the importance of any specific regulatory strategy in favor of the flexible deployment of strategies in response to specific situational challenges. The bulk of research in this area has been conducted on adult samples. Research on emotion regulation flexibility (ERF) in youth has been documented in only a limited number of studies and using various definitions. This systematic review aims to gather and summarize different conceptualizations and methodological approaches of adolescent ERF. We incorporate these findings into a general framework to understand ERF and its role in adolescents' emotional, behavioral and social functioning. Adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, 11 studies were included in the review. While ERF has been defined in various and inconsistent ways, the included studies utilized conceptualizations from two overarching domains: the regulation of expressed emotion and the repertoire of emotion regulation strategies. Promising approaches and future directions will be highlighted.

The Helping Hand in Ukraine: feasibility and potential impact

BACKGROUND

New services are needed to prevent the mental health consequences of the war in Ukraine. Ten adolescents self-recruited to use and evaluate the Ukrainian version of the Helping Hand (HH) in Odesa, Ukraine. From April to June 2023, they participated in a 10-session group program where they played the cognitive behavioral game app, shared stories, and engaged in activities to enhance their coping skills.

METHODS

A mixed-method, quantitative-qualitative design was used to get insight into the feasibility and potential impact of the HH on Ukrainian adolescents' mental health and well-being during the war. A questionnaire to the adolescents assessed the feasibility of the intervention; anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed before and after the intervention by a standardized and validated adolescent-completed questionnaire. An interview with the psychologist who implemented the intervention was used to interpret the data completed by the adolescents.

RESULTS

Eight of 10 adolescents completed the HH intervention, and the psychologist found the HH helpful and culturally appropriate. The average anxiety and depression symptoms decreased from before the intervention (M = 20.4) to after (M = 15.0), showing a moderate effect size.

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that the HH has a high potential to prevent mental health consequences in Ukraine.

Exploring Emotional Dysregulation and Avoidance with Caregivers as the Mechanisms Linking Social Communication Understanding and Aggressive Behaviours

Many autistic adolescents and young adults present with aggressive behaviours, which can be challenging for caregivers. The present study aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms between social communication understanding and aggressive behaviours in autistic and non-autistic adolescents, specifically the role of emotional dysregulation and its impact on avoidance with caregivers. Caregivers of autistic (n = 275) and non-autistic adolescents (n = 123) completed standardised caregiver-report questionnaires measuring social communication understanding, emotional dysregulation, avoidance between the adolescent and caregiver and aggressive behaviours. A serial mediation analysis indicated that levels of social communication understanding were indirectly associated with aggressive behaviours. This occurred through increased emotional dysregulation, which may have led to increased avoidance between the autistic and non-autistic adolescents and their caregivers. These findings support a sequential process by which adolescents with low social communication understanding are more likely to behave aggressively through being emotionally dysregulated and the impact of this on the increased avoidance within the caregiver-adolescent dyad. This process was found within autistic and non-autistic adolescents, suggesting a mechanism across individuals with aggression. These findings indicate that interventions based on improving emotion regulation ability and responses between adolescents and their caregivers may aid in reducing aggressive behaviours in adolescents and young adults with lower social communication understanding.

A Narrative Review of the Efficacy of Interventions for Emotional Dysregulation, and Underlying Bio-Psycho-Social Factors

In this narrative, comprehensive, and updated review of the literature, we summarize evidence about the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing emotion dysregulation and improving emotion regulation in children, adolescents, and adults. After introducing emotion dysregulation and emotion regulation from a theoretical standpoint, we discuss the factors commonly associated with emotion regulation, including neurobiological and neuropsychological mechanisms, and the role of childhood adverse experiences and psycho-social factors in the onset of emotion dysregulation. We then present evidence about pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions aiming at improving emotion dysregulation and promoting emotion regulation across the lifespan. Although our review was not intended as a traditional systematic review, and the search was only restricted to systematic reviews and meta-analyses, we highlighted important implications and provided recommendations for clinical practice and future research in this field.

Integrating Biobehavioral and Environmental Components of Developmental Psychopathology via Interpersonal Dynamics: An RDoC-Advancing Model

Although the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDoC) framework proposes biological and environmental mechanisms intersect in the etiology of psychopathology, there is no guidance on how to define or measure experiences in the environment within the RDoC matrix. Interpersonal dynamics during caregiver-child interactions involve temporal coordination of interacting partners' biobehavioral functioning; repeated experiences of signaling to caregivers and responding to caregivers' signals shape children's subsequent socioemotional and brain development. We begin with a review of the extant literature on caregiver-child dynamics, which reveals that RDoC's units of analysis (brain circuits, physiology, behavior, and self-report) are inextricably linked with moment-to-moment changes in the caregiving environment. We then offer a proof-of-concept for integrating biobehavioral RDoC units and environmental components via caregiver-child dynamics. Our approach uses dynamic structural equation models to estimate within-dyad dynamics involving arousal, social, cognitive, and negative or positive affective processes based on second-by-second changes in parasympathetic activity (RSA) during a conflict discussion and a positive event-planning task. Our results illustrate variation in parent-child RSA synchrony, suggesting differences depending on the driver (i.e., child- or parent-led) and on the unique and intersecting domains involved (e.g., positive or negative affect valence systems). We conclude with recommendations for conducting robust, methodologically rigorous studies of interpersonal dynamics that advance the RDoC framework and provide a summary of the clinical implications of this research. Examining caregiver-child dynamics during and across multiple dyadic interaction paradigms that differentially elicit key domains of functioning can deepen understanding of how caregiver- and child-led interpersonal dynamics contribute to child psychopathology risk.

Maternal alcohol dependence symptoms, maternal insensitivity to children's distress, and young children's blunted emotional reactivity

Maternal insensitivity to children's emotional distress (e.g., expressions of sadness or fearfulness) is one mechanism through which maternal alcohol dependence may increase children's risk for psychopathology. Although emotion dysregulation is consistently associated with psychopathology, it remains unclear how or why alcohol dependence's effects on caregiving responses to children's distress may impact children's emotion regulation over time, particularly in ways that may engender risks for psychopathology. This study examined longitudinal associations between lifetime maternal alcohol dependence symptoms, mothers' insensitivity to children's emotional distress cues, and children's emotional reactivity among 201 mother-child dyads (Mchild age = 2.14 years; 56% Black; 11% Latino). Structural equation modeling analyses revealed a significant mediational pathway such that maternal alcohol dependence predicted increases in mothers' insensitivity to children's emotional distress across a one-year period (β = .16, p = .013), which subsequently predicted decreases in children's emotional reactivity one year later (β = -.29, p = .009). Results suggest that mothers with alcohol dependence symptoms may struggle to sensitively respond to children's emotional distress, which may prompt children to suppress or hide their emotions as an adaptive, protective strategy. The potential developmental benefits and consequences of early, protective expressive suppression strategies are discussed via developmental psychopathology frameworks.

Developmental trajectories of adolescent internalizing symptoms and parental responses to distress

Parents' responses to their children's negative emotions are a central aspect of emotion socialization that have well-established associations with the development of psychopathology. Yet research is lacking on potential bidirectional associations between parental responses and youth symptoms that may unfold over time. Further, additional research is needed on sociocultural factors that may be related to the trajectories of these constructs. In this study, we examined associations between trajectories of parental responses to negative emotions and adolescent internalizing symptoms and the potential role of youth sex and racial identity. Adolescents and caregivers (N = 256) completed six assessments that spanned adolescent ages 13-18 years. Multivariate growth models revealed that adolescents with higher internalizing symptoms at baseline experienced increasingly non-supportive parental responses over time (punitive and distress responses). By contrast, parental responses did not predict initial levels of or changes in internalizing symptoms. Parents of Black youth reported higher minimization and emotion-focused responses and lower distress responses compared to parents of White youth. We found minimal evidence for sex differences in parental responses. Internalizing symptoms in early adolescence had enduring effects on parental responses to distress, suggesting that adolescents may play an active role in shaping their emotion socialization developmental context.

A quasi-experimental study in sibling dyads: differential provocation-aggression patterns in the interactive taylor aggression paradigm

Introduction

The Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP) is a well-established tool for assessing provocation-induced reactive aggression. We introduce an interactive version, the iTAP, with real-time opponents across 60 trials, including five simulated provocation trials in the middle. In this quasi-experimental study, we evaluate the effectiveness of the paradigm to investigate reactive aggression in interacting participants. The design allows us to employ the TAP in settings of high familiarity dyads, addressing an existing gap.

Method

Twenty-eight healthy same-sex adult sibling pairs (N = 56) competed against each other in the iTAP, exemplifying high familiarity through their social and emotional co-development, and mutual knowledge. Additionally, we explore naturally arising aggression types in terms of sibling pairs' reciprocal aggression trajectories across trials. Lastly, we investigate situational and personal variables influencing reactive aggression on the iTAP within high familiarity dyads.

Results

In line with non-interactive TAP versions, siblings employed a global "tit-for-tat" strategy in response to heightened provocation: Aggression increased during manipulated trials of increasing provocation, persisted during real interaction and declined in the final block, suggesting sibling co-regulation which was underscored by the convergence in within-pair aggression level. We found no gender differences in these dynamics but a trend for higher initial aggression levels within brother pairs and higher responsiveness to increased provocation in sister pairs. Overall aggression levels were related to situational variables including trial outcome (lost, won, and tie), Further, siblings' state anger correlated positively with aggression scores on the iTAP. Aggression was not reliably related to personal variables predicting aggression. We identified subgroups of sibling pairs with distinct provocation-aggression patterns related to differences in reported behavioral motivations and emotional states. The results highlight situational over personal variables in determining aggressive behavior on the task in this sample of healthy adults. While no direct link between sibling relationship quality and aggression was found, the overall behavior was likely influenced by the familiarity between siblings and the specific context of their relationship.

Conclusion

The iTAP demonstrates promise as a tool for studying reciprocal aggressive behavior. The emergence of different interaction patterns underscores the ecological validity introduced by the interactive context, which complements the standard versions of the TAP.

Parenting links to parent-child interbrain synchrony: a real-time fNIRS hyperscanning study

Parent-child interaction is crucial for children's cognitive and affective development. While bio-synchrony models propose that parenting influences interbrain synchrony during interpersonal interaction, the brain-to-brain mechanisms underlying real-time parent-child interactions remain largely understudied. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, we investigated interbrain synchrony in 88 parent-child dyads (Mage children = 8.07, 42.0% girls) during a collaborative task (the Etch-a-Sketch, a joint drawing task). Our findings revealed increased interbrain synchrony in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and temporo-parietal areas during interactive, collaborative sessions compared to non-interactive, resting sessions. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that interbrain synchrony in the left temporoparietal junction was associated with enhanced dyadic collaboration, shared positive affect, parental autonomy support, and parental emotional warmth. These associations remained significant after controlling for demographic variables including child age, child gender, and parent gender. Additionally, differences between fathers and mothers were observed. These results highlight the significant association between brain-to-brain synchrony in parent-child dyads, the quality of the parent-child relationship, and supportive parenting behaviors. Interbrain synchrony may serve as a neurobiological marker of real-time parent-child interaction, potentially underscoring the pivotal role of supportive parenting in shaping these interbrain synchrony mechanisms.

Resources and transversal competencies to reconcile child and parental responsibilities: A mini-review of the impact of COVID-19 on the Italian sandwich generation

Longer life spans and the delayed economic and psychological independence of children mean that middle-aged parents find themselves caring for parents and children at the same period in their lives, at times this care may extend to grandchildren and grandparents. The type of care varies depending on each person's need but also on the gender of the individual who looks after their parents while taking care of their own children. Cultural factors can also come into play. Complications in the lives of those who are part of the Sandwich Generation (SG) may arise affecting the quality of their time, their psyche, physical and financial situation. Having the necessary skills and strategies to cope with these complications is extremely important.

Parents' Beliefs about Children's Emotions and Children's Social Skills: The Mediating Role of Parents' Emotion Regulation

Few studies have investigated the relationship between parents' beliefs about children's emotions and children's social skills. Fewer studies have addressed this association and its underlying mechanisms while obtaining data from both parents. In this context, the present study explores the mediating role of parents' emotion regulation in the association between parents' beliefs about children's emotions and children's social skills. The participants were 90 parental dyads (N = 180) with typically developing preschool children. They completed self-report scales regarding parents' beliefs about their children's emotions, parents' emotion regulation, and children's social skills. The data were analyzed using the common fate mediation model (CFM with mediation). The results indicate that only parents' cognitive reappraisal mediates the relationship between their emotion-related beliefs and their children's social skills. Specifically, parental beliefs about "children's anger is valuable" and "children use their emotions to manipulate others" are directly and negatively associated with children's social skills, and indirectly through the parents' cognitive reappraisal. Future intervention programs should focus on restructuring parents' beliefs and their ability to regulate emotions.

The mediating role of caregiver hope in relations among caregivers' coping and emotional socialization beliefs in pediatric oncology

The purpose of this study is to identify links between caregiver hope, caregiver coping behaviors, and caregivers' coaching versus dismissing emotion socialization (ES) beliefs in a pediatric cancer sample.

Self-report measures.

Caregivers (N = 183, 80.20% mothers; 58.5% white; 32.2% Hispanic) of youth undergoing cancer treatment (51.10% hematological malignancy, 15.30% brain or spinal [CNS] tumor, and 25.14% non-CNS solid tumor) for at least six weeks.

We used a series of mediation models to examine links between caregivers' coping behaviors, hope, and ES beliefs.

Caregivers' hope significantly mediated a positive relation between caregivers' coping and their emotion coaching beliefs, as well as an inverse relation between caregivers' maladaptive coping and their emotion dismissing beliefs.

Enhancing caregivers' hope or adaptive coping may support caregivers' beliefs during the pediatric cancer experience.

Our findings support future research to evaluate whether enhancing caregivers' hope or adaptive coping may help support evidence-based interventions that target ES beliefs and behaviors.

Early life adversity as a risk factor for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

Neurological conditions, including cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (AD), impose a huge burden on society, affecting millions of people globally. In addition to genetic factors, recent studies indicate that environmental and experiential factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of these diseases. Early life adversity (ELA) has a profound impact on brain function and health later in life. In rodent models, exposure to ELA results in specific cognitive deficits and aggravated AD pathology. Extensive concerns have been raised regarding the higher risk of developing cognitive impairments in people with a history of ELA. In this review, we scrutinize findings from human and animal studies focusing on the connection of ELA with cognitive impairment and AD. These discoveries suggest that ELA, especially at early postnatal stages, increases susceptibility to cognitive impairment and AD later in life. In terms of mechanisms, ELA could lead to dysregulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, altered gut microbiome, persistent inflammation, oligodendrocyte dysfunction, hypomyelination, and aberrant adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Crosstalks among these events may synergistically contribute to cognitive impairment later in life. Additionally, we discuss several interventions that may alleviate adverse consequences of ELA. Further investigation into this crucial area will help improve ELA management and reduce the burden of related neurological conditions.

How does parental emotion regulation influence Chinese migrant children's resilience? The chain mediating role of self-efficacy and hope

To examine the chain mediating role of self-efficacy and hope in the relationship between parental emotion regulation and migrant children's resilience, the study investigated 745 migrant children (mean age = 12.9, SD = 1.5, 371 boys) from four schools and their parents in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China. All children were asked to complete the Adolescent Resilience Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Children's Hope Scale. Their parents completed the Parental Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling showed that parental emotion regulation could not only directly influence children's resilience but also indirectly influence it through two paths: the independent mediating role of self-efficacy and the chain mediating role of self-efficacy and hope. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how parental emotion regulation influences migrant children's resilience and provide important practical guidance for enhancing migrant children's resilience.

Conceptualizing the Role of Parent and Child Emotion Regulation in the Treatment of Early-Onset Behavior Disorders: Theory, Research, and Future Directions

Behavior disorders (BDs) are common and costly, making prevention and early-intervention a clinical and public health imperative. Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is the standard of care for early-onset (3-8 years old) BDs, yet effect sizes vary and wane with time suggesting the role of underlying factors accounting for variability in outcomes. The literature on emotion regulation (ER), which has been proposed as one such underlying factor, is reviewed here, including a brief overview of ER, theory and research linking ER, externalizing symptoms, and/or BDs, and still largely preliminary work exploring the role of parent and child ER in BPT outcomes. Research to date provides clues regarding the interrelationship of ER, BDs, and BPT; yet, determining whether adaptations to BPT targeting ER are necessary or useful, for whom such adaptations would be most important, and how those adaptations would be implemented requires addressing mixed findings and methodological limitations. To guide such work, we propose a conceptual model elucidating how standard BPT may impact ER and processes linked to ER, which we believe will be useful in organizing and advancing both basic and applied research in future work.