Callous-unemotional Traits and Child Response to Teacher Rewards, Discipline, and Instructional Methods in Chinese Preschools: A Classroom Observation Study

Atypical responses to teacher rewards, discipline and different forms of instructional methods have been identified as potential contributors to disruptive behavior, low school engagement, and academic underachievement in children with elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits. To date, research on CU traits in schools has relied on interview or questionnaire methods and has predominantly been conducted in Western countries. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the relationships between CU traits and children's responses to teacher rewards, discipline and instructional methods in the Chinese preschool context using classroom observation. Eight teachers (7 females, 1 male; M = 37.66 years) and 116 children (56% girls; M = 5.16 years) from two mainstream Chinese preschools participated in the study. Of the 116 eligible children, the behavior of 108 children from four classes were observed during classroom activities. Findings indicated that CU traits were not related to children's responses to discipline, nor did CU traits moderate the relationship between instructional methods and children's academic engagement. Higher CU traits predicted a greater frequency of one-to-one teacher-child interaction. Our findings offer initial insights into the potential of early school-based interventions in fostering engagement and prosocial behavior among children with CU traits. However, they also highlight the need for additional support for preschool teachers, who face the challenge of managing these high-risk children who appear to require more individual time and attention.

Emotion Controllability Beliefs and Young People's Anxiety and Depression Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Emotion regulation is a powerful predictor of youth mental health and a crucial ingredient of interventions. A growing body of evidence indicates that the beliefs individuals hold about the extent to which emotions are controllable (emotion controllability beliefs) influence both the degree and the ways in which they regulate emotions. A systematic review was conducted that investigated the associations between emotion controllability beliefs and youth anxiety and depression symptoms. The search identified 21 peer-reviewed publications that met the inclusion criteria. Believing that emotions are relatively controllable was associated with fewer anxiety and depression symptoms, in part because these beliefs were associated with more frequent use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies. These findings support theoretical models linking emotion controllability beliefs with anxiety and depression symptoms via emotion regulation strategies that target emotional experience, like reappraisal. Taken together, the review findings demonstrate that emotion controllability beliefs matter for youth mental health. Understanding emotion controllability beliefs is of prime importance for basic science and practice, as it will advance understanding of mental health and provide additional targets for managing symptoms of anxiety and depression in young people.

What about males? Exploring sex differences in the relationship between emotion difficulties and eating disorders

OBJECTIVE

While eating disorders (EDs) are more commonly diagnosed in females, there is growing awareness that men also experience EDs and may do so in a different way. Difficulties with emotion processing and emotion regulation are believed to be important in EDs, but as studies have involved predominantly female samples, it is unclear whether this is also true for males.

METHODS

In a sample of 1604 participants (n = 631 males), we assessed emotion processing and emotion regulation in males with EDs (n = 109) and compared results to both females with EDs (n = 220) and males from the general population (n = 522). We also looked at whether emotion processing and emotion regulation difficulties predicted various aspects of eating psychopathology and whether this was moderated by sex. We assessed emotion processing with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, emotion regulation with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and eating psychopathology with the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire.

RESULTS

We found that males with ED, like their female counterparts, suffered from emotion processing and emotion regulation deficits. We did find some sex differences, in that males with EDs tended to report more difficulties with their emotions as well as a more externally oriented thinking style compared to females with EDs. Difficulties with emotion processing and emotion regulation were strongly predictive of various aspects of eating psychopathology in both sexes. Importantly, we found that sex moderated the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and eating restraint. As such, low use of reappraisal was found to be associated with higher levels of restraint in females but not in males.

DISCUSSION

Difficulties with emotion processing and emotion regulation are associated with eating psychopathology in both males and females. Reappraisal was not found to be associated with reduced eating psychopathology in males, suggesting a cautious approach to interventions targeting this strategy. Research around explanatory mechanisms and interventions must adopt a broader viewpoint including those that are traditionally overlooked in EDs.

Connecting over the internet: Establishing the therapeutic alliance in an internet-based treatment for depressed adolescents

Internet-based treatments have been developed for youth mental health difficulties, with promising results. However, little is known about the features of therapeutic alliance, and how it is established and maintained, in text-based interactions between adolescents and therapists in internet-based treatments. This study uses data collected during a pilot evaluation of a psychodynamic internet-based therapy for depressed adolescents. The adolescents had instant-messaging chats with their therapists once a week, over 10 weeks. The adolescents also rated the therapeutic alliance each week, using the Session Alliance Inventory. The present study uses qualitative methods to analyse transcripts of text-based communication between the young people and their therapists. The aim is to identify and describe the key features of therapeutic alliance, and reflect upon the implications for theory and clinical practice. Analysis identified three 'values' that may underpin a strong therapeutic alliance: togetherness, agency and hope. A number of therapist techniques were also found, which seemed to create a sense of these values during text-chat sessions. These findings are discussed, alongside implications for future research.

It’s all about beliefs: Believing emotions are uncontrollable is linked to symptoms of anxiety and depression through cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression

The aim of this study was to examine the link between personal beliefs about emotion controllability and symptoms of anxiety and depression, with a particular focus on the mediating role of emotion regulation. To date, there has been little research examining the mediating role of cognitive reappraisal or expressive suppression in the link between beliefs about emotion controllability and symptoms of anxiety. Online questionnaires measuring emotion regulation, beliefs about emotion controllability, and depression and anxiety, were completed by 1227 participants (n = 336 males; Mage = 25.3, SD = 10.1; range = 16 to 83 years). The results indicated that perceived control over one’s own emotions predicted better psychological health (fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression). This link between beliefs about emotion controllability and psychological heath was partially mediated by cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, with cognitive reappraisal predicting a reduction in clinical symptoms and expressive suppression predicting an increase in clinical symptoms. These findings suggest that individuals’ beliefs about emotion controllability, leads to the use of certain emotion regulation strategies which in turn, have important consequences for psychological health.

Believing emotions are uncontrollable is linked to eating disorder psychopathology via suppression and reappraisal

OBJECTIVE

Research suggests that beliefs about emotional controllability influence the use of emotion regulation strategies, which in turn impact psychological health and illness. However, no research has yet investigated whether emotional controllability is linked to eating psychopathology. The current study investigates whether these concepts are related, as individuals with eating disorders have problems with emotion regulation.

METHOD

We collected self-report data from 718 participants from a community sample using validated questionnaires, and ran mediational analyses to assess the relationship between emotional controllability and eating psychopathology, via reappraisal and suppression, two emotion regulation strategies.

RESULTS

Our mediational analyses suggest that believing emotions to be uncontrollable relates to high levels of suppression (β = -.08), low levels of reappraisal (β = .19) and poorer eating disorder psychopathology (β = -.11). Reappraisal and suppression were found to partially mediate the relationship between emotional controllability and eating psychopathology.

DISCUSSION

The current study has demonstrated relationships that support investigations relating emotional controllability, emotion regulation and psychological health. This research has potential implications for developing interventions to target beliefs about emotions in order to help improve emotion regulation skills and eating psychopathology.

Commentary: Relationships Between Classroom Dialogue and Support for Metacognitive, Self-Regulatory Development in Educational Contexts

As indicated in the introductory article, this special issue has attempted to represent and illustrate developments in theoretical, methodological, and empirical work related to the role of primary classroom dialogue in supporting children's self-regulation. The articles included report studies carried out in the United Kingdom and Chile (two quite different cultural contexts) originally supported by a British Academy International Partnership and Mobility grant to the two editors. These articles extend the work originally reported in Whitebread, Mercer, Howe & Tolmie (2013), bringing together a number of research traditions to develop our understanding of the contribution of dialogic processes in primary classrooms to the development of children's self-regulation. This commentary is intended to locate the present studies within the pre-existing research literature, to indicate the significant contributions made, and to pose an agenda for future research in this area.

Emotion regulation and well-being in primary classrooms situated in low-socioeconomic communities

BACKGROUND

Although emotion is central to most models of children's well-being, few studies have looked at how well-being is related to the ways in which children regulate their emotions.

AIMS

The aim of this study was to examine the associations among children's emotion regulation strategy choice and their emotional expression, behaviour, and well-being. The study also investigated whether contextual factors influenced the emotion regulation strategies children chose to use.

SAMPLE

Participants (N = 33) were selected from four Year 5/6 composite classrooms situated in low-socioeconomic urban communities in New Zealand.

METHOD

Questionnaires were used to measure children's well-being and teacher-reported emotional and behavioural problems. Emotional expression and emotion regulation strategies were measured through video-recorded observations in the classroom. A total of 1,184 instances of emotion regulation strategy use were coded using a framework based on Gross' process model of emotion regulation.

RESULTS

The findings highlight the complexity of the relations among emotion regulation, emotion expression, and well-being. Some strategies, such as Cognitive Reappraisal, were effective at upregulating negative emotion in the short term, yet not strongly associated with well-being. Others, such as Situation Modification: Physical, were positively associated with well-being, yet not with an immediate change in a child's emotional experience. The findings also suggest children flexibly use different strategies in relation to different contextual demands.

CONCLUSION

These findings may be used to guide future intervention efforts which target emotion regulation strategy use as well as those which focus on teachers' support of children during emotionally challenging situations.

Response to trauma in children: An examination of effective intervention and post-traumatic growth

It is clear that exposure to traumatic events is not uncommon in childhood and adolescence and psychologists working in schools should have some training in meeting the needs of this segment of the population. This manuscript summarizes the incidence of trauma in children worldwide and then discusses interventions for trauma (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy & Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools) which have been empirically validated for use with children and/or adolescents. A summary of a project (Project Fleur-de-lis) which attempted to integrate these two treatment approaches into a systematic intervention system is also discussed. In addition, the concept of post-traumatic growth, cultural considerations in working with children from diverse societies, and training needs of school psychologists are addressed.

Between Theory and Practice Falls the Shadow: The Learning Theories Profile

Between the idea

And the reality

Between the motion

And the act

Falls the Shadow

T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”

This article reports on the development and evaluation of a meta-cognitive tool for practitioners’ reflection on the ‘shadow’ between espoused theories and theories-in-use. The learning theories profile (LTP) was developed to support practitioners in education to identify and reflect on the theoretical perspectives that underpin their professional decision-making. In order to assess the usefulness of the LTP for reflection on professional development and practice, 15 special educators who were enrolled in a university course took part in a trial of the tool. Data from pre-activity and post-activity surveys suggested that the LTP helped students to critically consider contemporary and traditional theories of learning, raised awareness of the application of learning theories in education practice and supported users to reflect on their own professional practice, and interactions.