Psychology Commons^™

Temporal Relevance Of Parent Qualities And Behaviors For Predicting Young Adults’ Emotion Regulation And Romantic Relationships, Saleena Wilson

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The present study sought to compare the utility of adolescents’ parental relationship qualities and behaviors for predicting young adult emotion regulation as well as the mediating role of emotion regulation in the intergenerational transmission of relationship qualities and behaviors. Early adolescence is characterized by the emergence of new emotions, responsibilities, and budding romantic relationships. Parental relationships with positive qualities may provide a safe environment for teens to explore these unfamiliar experiences. In late adolescence, teens depend less on this secure base but benefit from the utilization of specific relationship behaviors, modeled to them by their parents, in increasingly important …

Parents’ Adverse Childhood Experiences In Relation To Parent-Child Emotion Socialization, Emily Thompson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Parents’ adverse childhood experiences in relation to parent-child emotion socialization

Objective: Parents have an integral role in a child’s development of important emotional and psychosocial processes through emotion socialization. The goal of this paper is to examine the presence of adverse childhood experiences during the parents’ childhood and adolescence alongside the parents’ responses to their child’s emotional expression. The impact of adverse childhood experiences on a parent’s ability to socialize their child’s emotions is a key factor in the continued objective of cultivating positive parent-child interaction and improving adolescent mental health.

Methods: Participants were 165 adolescents and their parents. Adolescent …

Facial Expression Recognition Deficits In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Zachary Friedman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are an umbrella term for lifelong neurobehavioral disorders characterized by a set of social (verbal and nonverbal) communication challenges and behaviors and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Emotions serve many functions, but primarily they help with the appraisal of stimuli and driving of responses. Emotional processing and facial recognition are integral abilities that influence the acquisition of social skills. For individuals with ASD, it is hypothesized that facial recognition deficits contribute to social communication traits. The bulk of previously conducted research has utilized static images of facial expressions. This study utilized videos of spontaneous expressions. Participants were tasked …

Self-Regulation In Young School-Aged Children With Williams Syndrome., Holley Arnold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation included two manuscripts which broadly focused on the self-regulation abilities of young school-aged children with Williams syndrome (WS), a rare neurodevelopmental disorder. Children with WS often exhibit mild to moderate intellectual disability (Kozel et al., 2021), impairments in behavioral and emotional regulation (Greiner de Magalhães et al., 2022), low effortful control (Leyfer et al., 2012), and deficits in adaptive skills (Brawn & Porter, 2018). In the first manuscript, the performance of children with WS on a gift-wrap delay of gratification task was characterized. In the second manuscript, the concurrent effects of the ability to regulate emotions, the ability …

Examining The Effects Of An Online Group Social Skills Program On Emotion Regulation Skills For Adolescents And Young Adults With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Breanna Perron

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Difficulties with emotion regulation and social skills have been identified as core deficits for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (Turcotte et al., 2016). These deficits have been shown to lead to a multitude of social consequences and difficulties across the lifespan when unaddressed (Shattuck et al., 2011). Therefore, it is vital to establish effective interventions to teach the skills necessary to combat those deficits. The present study uses a behavioral skills training model to teach emotion regulation online using video modeling. The results provide potential support for increasing emotion regulation through the teaching of social skills. There were also …

Promising Findings That The Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators’ Program (Chime) Strengthens Early Childhood Teachers’ Emotional Resources: An Iterative Study, Holly Hatton-Bowers, Caron Clark, Gilbert R. Parra, Jessica L. Calvi, Michael Yellow Bird, Pearl Avari, Jaclynn Foged, John Smith

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Findings suggest that an eight-week mindfulness compassion-based program, Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators (CHIME), is a feasible professional development intervention for early childhood (EC) teachers to support their emotion regulation and psychological and workplace well-being. We offer preliminary evidence that learning about mindfulness, self-compassion, and social-emotional learning supports EC teachers in strengthening their knowledge and application of practices to be more mindful and less emotionally reactive and emotionally exhausted at work. In analyzing both EC teacher feedback and survey data from two pilot studies, there was promising evidence that participating in CHIME enhanced awareness of emotions and the development of …

Intergenerational Transmission Of Alexithymia As A Predictor Of Child Posttraumatic Stress Outcomes During Covid-19, Casey Burton

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to test the role of parent alexithymia in explaining why some children are functioning relatively well during the COVID-19 pandemic while others are experiencing poor mental health. Participants were 88 U.S. children (M_age = 9.94 years; 54.5% female; 59.1% White) and their parents/caregivers (68.2% female; 59.1% White). Two models were tested: a path model in which the association between parent alexithymia symptoms and child COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) was mediated by child alexithymia symptoms, and a moderator model in which the association between parent alexithymia symptoms and child PTSS was moderated …

Facial Affect As A Component Of Emotion Regulation During Inhibitory Control In Fxs, Abigail Digby, Erin Hunt

Senior Theses

The present study investigated emotion regulation through facial affect during inhibitory control in FXS. Male participants (N=32) were asked to complete a task that induced frustration. An M&M was placed in front of the subject, and they were instructed not to eat the M&M until the trial has ended, marked by the ringing of a bell. The subject’s facial affect was observed and recorded throughout the 6 trials to investigate the differences between the emotion regulation of TD and FXS children. It was hypothesized that the TD group would be less expressive, and more negative than the TD children. It …

Father Knows Best: The Interactive Effects Of Fathering Quantity And Quality On Child Self-Regulation, Mamatha Chetlur Chary

Doctoral Dissertations

In the past decade, developmental research has seen a surge of work regarding fathers and their influences of various aspects of child outcomes- cognitive and socioemotional. Studies show that father involvement, or “quantity” of time the father spends with the child, as well as fathering “quality”, or the characteristics marking the father-child relationship (warmth, supportiveness, sensitivity etc.), can both contribute to variance in the development of individual differences in child outcomes such as language skills, academic success and psychological well-being. One facet of adaptive development, self-regulation (SR), is a robust and consistent predictor of high academic success, fulfilling interpersonal relationships, …

Maternal Stress And Child Internalizing Symptoms: Parent-Child Co-Regulation As A Proposed Mediator, Tatum Harvey

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The effects of maternal stress on child behavior, especially externalizing problems such as aggression, defiance, and lack of self-control, are well-established within psychological literature. Few studies, however, have examined the effects of maternal stress on child internalizing problems, such as loneliness, withdrawal, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Moreover, there is much research within developmental psychology to support the notion that parent-child co-regulation, sometimes called dyadic synchrony, can predict child behavioral outcomes. Currently, researchers lack an understanding of how this process can interact with maternal stress to predict child internalizing symptoms. The following thesis details a multi-method assessment which is …

A Meta-Analysis On Non-Cognitive Predictors Of College Student Academic Performance, Maggie Allphin

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

There are many factors that affect student success, often measured with academic performance. Research has shown that students attribute stress as a major factor that affects their academic performance (Frazier et al., 2018). This suggests that the ability to cope with stress can improve academic performance. Studies have shown that higher emotional intelligence is linked to higher ability to cope with stress (Wang, Xie, and Cui, 2016). In this meta-analysis, I looked into the relationship across multiple studies between emotional intelligence, grade point average, and other non-cognitive predictors. For the first meta-analysis, seven records relating emotional intelligence to academic performance …

Developmental Disruptions And Substance Use In An Emerging Adult Sample, Nena N. Mcgath

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Recent substance use reports indicate a rise in use-related deaths. Emerging adults are identified as the most prevalent users of substances when compared to other age groups. Current intervention methods are not universally effective, with relapse rates varying by treatment model. The poor efficacy of interventions may be due to a lack of models using a developmental focus. For example, previous research highlights the influence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on negative adult outcomes such as excessive substance use. ACEs may trigger a cascade of adaptation failures, disrupting attachment bonds between caregiver and child, and later influencing the development of …

The Effect Of Parent Emotion-Related Talk On Infant Behavior And Emotion Regulation, Nicole Elise Lorenzo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Early parent-infant interactions play a critical role in the social, emotional, and behavioral development of children. While several aspects of parent-infant interactions have been thoroughly examined, parent emotion socialization has not been examined to the same extent. The current work aimed to examine the development of parent emotion-related talk in mothers of infants with and without elevated behavior problems in two studies. The first study examined the developmental trajectory of parent emotion-related talk among mothers of infants with and without elevated behaviors. Furthermore, a secondary goal of the study was to examine the effect of parent emotion-related talk on infant …

Biological Signatures Of Emotion Regulation In Children, Sarah Myruski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Emotion regulation (ER) is a key predictor of positive adjustment throughout the lifespan. Despite decades of research on discrete ER strategy use, ER may be more appropriately measured in terms of the breadth of emotional range, or the degree to which one can flexibly modulate emotional responses. Yet little is known about ER flexibility in childhood. Also, given the crucial role of caregiver support in children’s emotional lives, ER may be most accurately measured in developmentally appropriate and ecologically valid social contexts. Further, few developmental studies have capitalized on the growing evidence base surrounding biological signatures of ER. This study …

All In The Family: The Role Of Sibling Relationships As Surrogate Attachment Figures, Tiffany Lagerstrom

Scripps Senior Theses

While several studies have analyzed the impact of mother-child attachment security on the child’s emotion regulation abilities, few studies have proposed interventions to help children improve emotion regulation abilities in the presence of an insecure mother-child attachment. This current study extends previous findings about the influence of mother-child attachment on the child’s emotion regulation abilities and contributes new research in determining whether an older sibling can moderate this effect. This study predicts that across points of assessments: 18 months, 5 years, 10 years, and 15 years, the quality of mother-child attachment security will influence the child’s performance on an emotion …

Does Developmental Task Disruption Mediate The Link Between Childhood Adversity And Psychopathy?, Kali C. Williams

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Research has linked adult psychopathy with abuse or neglect in childhood; however, less is known about how it relates to other adverse childhood experiences. The prevention of psychopathic traits may be possible if the issue is examined from a developmental psychopathology perspective, which attempts to understand how early experiences and disruptions in stage-salient tasks may contribute to pathological behavior. ACEs may disrupt the attachment bond between child and parent and continue to impact adult relational functioning, via cognitive templates of adult attachment styles and difficulties with emotion regulation.

This study examined whether ACEs were related to psychopathic trait scores in …

Evaluation Of A Mindfulness Intervention For Children With Emotion Regulation Difficulties, Stephanie Jo Pirsig

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Emotion regulation difficulties are featured in internalizing and externalizing psychological diagnoses and can be seen as a precursor for a severe and persistent mental illness, relationship, and personal problems. Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) is a non-pharmaceutical alternative and may alleviate limitations for medication, cognitive behavior therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a MBSR intervention on emotion regulation in children with emotion regulation difficulties and associated psychiatric diagnoses. Five participants, ages 6 to 13 years old, with emotion regulation difficulties were recruited through local psychiatric clinics and participated in …

The Neural Correlates Of Emotion Reactivity And Regulation In Young Children With Adhd, Claudia I. Lugo-Candelas

Doctoral Dissertations

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most frequently occurring pediatric neurobehavioral disorder. Although emotion reactivity and regulation are frequently impaired in ADHD, few studies have examined these factors in preschool aged children with ADHD, and none have explored the neural correlates of emotion reactivity and regulation in this group though event-related potentials (ERPs). Children aged 4 to 7 with (n = 24) and without (n = 30) ADHD symptoms completed an attention task composed of four blocks: baseline, frustration, suppression, and recovery. In the frustration and suppression blocks, negative affect was induced by false negative feedback. During the …

Parent Training To Reduce Problem Behaviors Over The Transition To High School: Tests Of Indirect Effects Through Improved Emotion Regulation Skills, W. Alex Mason, Stacy-Ann A. January, Charles B. Fleming, Ronald W. Thompson, Gilbert R. Parra, Kevin P. Haggerty, James J. Snyder

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Adolescent problem behaviors are costly for individuals and society. Promoting the self-regulatory functioning of youth may help prevent the development of such behaviors. Parent-training and family intervention programs have been shown to improve child and adolescent self-regulation. This study helps fill gaps in knowledge by testing for indirect effects of the Common Sense Parenting® (CSP) program on reduced substance use, conduct problems, and school suspensions through previously identified short-term improvements in parents’ reports of their children’s emotion regulation skills. Over two cohorts, 321 low income families of 8^th graders were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the standard CSP …

Associations Between Children's Perceptions Of Interparental Conflict And Neuropsychological Correlates Of Interpersonal Emotion Stimuli, Hannah C. Woolfolk

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Exposure to interparental conflict has been implicated in children's development. Research suggests that underlying mechanisms, such as neuropsychological indicators of cognitive processes, may shed light on how exposure to interparental conflict differentially influences children's outcomes over time. Event-related potentials (ERP), extracted from electroencephalogram data, allow for examination of neuropsychological markers of cognition based on precise timing and scalp topography of electrical activity in the brain. For example, the late positive potential (LPP) ERP component has been implicated in the timing and magnitude of sustained attention and emotion regulation processes elicited in response to emotionally salient stimuli. LPP amplitudes and peak …

Emotion Management Skills Of School-Age Children In The Context Of Risk: The Role Of Parent Socialization Strategies, Carla Damiani Correia

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Exposure to risk in childhood can disrupt social and emotional processes (Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000) and lead to the development of physical and mental health issues across the lifespan (Flouri, 2008). This study sought to better understand the associations between contextual risk, parent socialization of emotion, and children's emotion regulation skills in an at-risk sample. Information about risk was obtained from U.S. Census data and a family questionnaire. Parent socialization strategies and children's ER skills were measured using self-report and interview methods. Though not to the degree that was expected, results indicate that contextual risk relates to both parent socialization …

The Mediating Role Of Emotion Regulation In The Relations Of Between Somatization And Internalizing Disorders In Children, Priscilla A. Khuanghlawn

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Somatic symptoms are a common experience of childhood and research suggests that specific populations, including girls and children who are African-American, may be more likely to experience and report somatic complaints. Although seen in developmentally typical populations, somatic symptoms are also often strongly linked with general psychopathology, especially internalizing disorders. The etiology of somatic symptoms is unclear, with the current literature suggesting various contributing causes. One such contributing factor includes emotional factors such as the management of emotional arousal through emotion inhibition, coping, and dysregulation. Using an African-American sample of 136 elementary school-aged children (47% boys) and their parents (86% …

Emotion Regulation As A Mediator Of Adolescent Developmental Processes And Problem Outcomes, Katherine Little Kivisto

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent models of adolescent development and psychopathology emphasize the importance of the social regulation of emotion during adolescence (Allen & Manning, 2007; Allen & Miga, 2010), and emotion regulation as a mediating factor between multiple aspects of adolescent development and adolescent adjustment (Morris, Silk, Steinberg, Myers, & Robinson, 2007). The present dissertation investigated these two phenomena in two separate studies of adolescent development, emotion regulation, and psychological adjustment.

In study one, a new measure of adolescent social regulation of emotion – the Managing Distress Interpersonally Scale, or MANDI – showed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability and factor structure across two …

The Effects Of Parent And Peer Attachment On Risky Behavior In First-Year College Students, Jamie L. Callahan

Senior Theses and Projects

National statistics show that there is a marked increase in risky behaviors, such as substance use and risky sex, when students enter college (Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2009). In order to explain this phenomenon, researchers have explored multiple individual and environmental factors that might explain why some students are at higher risk for engaging in these behaviors. The quality of one’s relationship with a parent(s) has emerged as one key predictor of student adjustment (Larose, Bernier, & Tarabulsy, 2005; Larose & Boivin, 1998). Accordingly, in the current study it was hypothesized that the quality of first-year students’ relationships with parents …

Experience And Regulation Of Positive Emotions As Predictors Of Anxiety And Depression In Adolescents And Children, Ann Schlegelmilch

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The high rate of comorbidity between anxiety and depression in children and adults raises questions concerning whether these disorders are two distinct disorders or a broad, but unitary construct. Clark and Watson's (1991) tripartite model purports that these disorders can be differentiated by two factors, positive affect (PA) and physiological hyperarousal (PH), in which low PA is unique to depression and PH is specific to anxiety. However, little is known about how specific positive emotions or their various facets may be related to depression and anxiety in children. Using 162 elementary and 148 middle school children (49% male, 66% Caucasian), …