The Development of Emotion Understanding among Five- and Six-Year-Old Left-Behind Children in Rural China

The left-behind children (LBC), separated from their mother/father or parents for a long period of time, have long been discussed as a subject of concern in China. Existing research has concluded that rural children who did not migrate with parents are subject to emotional risks. In the present study, the purpose is to study the impact of parental migration on early emotional understanding. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 180 children aged five to six years in rural areas of Guangdong province, including LBC and non-left-behind children (NLBC). Their level of emotional understanding (EU) was assessed by the emotional comprehension test (TEC) adapted to the Chinese context. The results showed that, on the three levels (External, Internal, Reflective) of emotional understanding, LBC aged five- to six- years old scored significantly lower than NLBC as counterparts. On the whole, the emotional comprehension ability of preschool LBC was significantly lower than that of NLBC. However, there were no significant differences within LBC nurtured by single parents, grandparents, and other relatives. This study confirmed that parental migration in early childhood considerably impacted rural LBC's emotional understanding and affectional adjustment, which provided a significant basis for increasing parental care and early childhood companionship in rural areas.

Symbolic threat affects negative self-conscious emotions

Self-conscious emotions are a distinct category of emotional responses that are rooted in social contexts. Previous findings suggest that negative self-conscious emotions might be elicited by a specific social factor, that is, symbolic intergroup threat. The present study tested the hypothesis that this is true, with three experiments conducted in the Chinese-context. In particular, the Mandarin words for shame (羞愧), guilt (内疚) and loss of face (丢脸) were examined. Symbolic threats were manipulated in all three experiments, with participants randomly divided into a symbolic threat condition and a control condition in each experiment. As expected, participants in the symbolic threat condition always reported more negative self-conscious emotions compared to participants in the control condition. These results suggest that symbolic intergroup threat can lead to self-conscious emotions as well as basic emotions, as was demonstrated by previous research.

DYSFUNCTIONS IN THE SOCIO EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS AND ITS RELATED FACTORS: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

ABSTRACT Objective: to synthesize factors related to dysfunctions in the socioemotional development of infants. Method: integrative review carried out between April and August 2016 with defined criteria for inclusion and exclusion of studies, search strategies, extraction and synthesis of data. The exposure factors underwent categorical thematic analysis and systematization according to the levels of the context (Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem and Macrosystem) of the Bioecological Model of Human Development. Results: in the context of the Microsystem and Mesosystem, the factors found were: limitations in care; adversities in family relationships and in the social support and illness situation of the caregivers that influence the proximal processes. In the Exosystem and the Macrosystem, they were: social vulnerabilities of caregivers and fragilities of public policies that determine the material and social conditions of the family. Conclusion: the synthesis of evidence on exposure factors favors the construction of measurement scales of the contextual elements related to the social emotional development of young children. Beyond the milestones, present or not, in the evaluation of a child, these technologies can be predictive, with great potential of anticipation of the factors of exposure and prevention of developmental dysfunctions.

Validation of vulnerability markers of dysfunctions in the socioemotional development of infants

OBJECTIVES

to validate the vulnerability markers of dysfunctions in the socioemotional development of infants.

METHODS

study with a sequential exploratory mixed-method design. The vulnerability markers elaborated in the qualitative phase were analyzed by experts in the quantitative phase using the Delphi technique with a minimum consensus of 70%. Seventeen judges answered the questionnaire in the first round of analysis and 11 answered in the second round.

RESULTS

in the first round, two markers did not reach minimum consensus: the presence of instability in family relationships (66%) and delinquency and/or drug abuse by parents/caregivers (65%). In the second round, all markers were validated, with more than 90% agreement in most of the attributes, and reached the minimum consensus of 73%.

CONCLUSION

the eight vulnerability markers reached the minimum consensus for validation, and a relevant instrument for infant care can be developed after assessing the reliability and clinically validating these markers.

Late-adoptions in adolescence: Can attachment and emotion regulation influence behaviour problems? A controlled study using a moderation approach

A growing body of research suggests that, compared to normative adolescence, adoptive adolescence could be considered a specific risk condition characterized by more psychiatric problems, attachment insecurity, and emotional regulation difficulties as consequences of negative experiences in preadoption relationships. The current study explores (a) a moderation model of adoption status on the association between attachment representations (secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and disorganized) and behavioural problems and (b) a moderation model of adoption status on the association between emotion regulation processes (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and behavioural problems. Both the moderation models were controlled for verbal skills. Forty-six adopted adolescents and a control group of 34 nonadopted peers (12-16 years old) living with both their biological parents were assessed using the Friends and Family Interview, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents, the Child Behaviour Check List 6-18, and the verbal subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, the latter as control measure. Results showed that adoption status (but not attachment) positively predicted externalizing and total behaviour problems, whereas attachment disorganization (but not adoption status) positively predicted internalizing problems in both group. Moreover, low cognitive reappraisal had a negative impact on externalizing problems only for adopted adolescents, but not for nonadopted youths. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed in order to enhance effective intervention with adopted adolescents and their parents.

Hold Tight: Carroll Izard's Contributions to Translational Research on Emotion Competence

This article summarizes Carroll (Cal) Izard's contributions to theory and research on emotion competence and an emotion-centered preventive intervention program. Cal's contributions to emotion competence research began with some of the earliest studies of whether or not recognition and labeling of emotions relate to social and behavioral functioning. He also theorized about the adaptive use of discrete emotions, a construct Cal termed "emotion utilization." He translated theory and research on emotions into seven principles for emotion-based prevention and intervention, and he applied these principles to a preventive intervention, the Emotions Course. The Emotions Course has been shown to promote emotion competence and reduce problem behaviors. The article concludes with recommendations to deepen the research base on emotion competence.

Differential Emotions Theory as a Theory of Personality Development

In The Face of Emotions, which was Carroll Izard’s first major attempt at elaborating his differential emotions theory (DET), he stated that the book “presents a theoretical framework for the study of emotions and their role in personality and interpersonal processes.” Yet, over the years, his contribution to personality theory has generally been overshadowed by the attention focused on his views on facial expressions and the structure of emotions. This article will begin with a brief overview of the DET perspective on personality development. Then, it will examine how the DET framework can be used to organize recent findings from three lines of research on adult personality. It will conclude with suggestions for future research as well as some personal recollections.

Reflections on Carroll Izard’s Contributions: Influences on Diverse Scientific Disciplines and Personal Recollections

Carroll Izard’s theoretical and empirical work has played a preeminent role in energizing the renascence in the study of the emotions and emotional development in normality and pathology. A brief historical overview of his career is presented. Izard’s differential emotions theory (DET) has exerted influence in a number of domains and disciplines. Illustrations are provided from research and prevention in developmental psychology and developmental psychopathology. Personal recollections of Cal Izard are provided showing that Izard is not only an influential theoretician and researcher, but also a wonderful emotional being.