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Maternal Emotion Regulation and Children’s Behavior Problems: The Mediating Role of Child Emotion Regulation

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Abstract

Children’s difficulties managing emotions are contributors to their behavior problems, and parents’ emotion regulation difficulties are also likely contributors to their children’s regulatory challenges and behavioral difficulties. This study examined the associations among mothers’ emotion regulation, children’s emotion regulation, and children’s behavior problems. Children’s emotion regulation difficulties were hypothesized to mediate the association between maternal difficulties with emotion regulation and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. A sample of 454 mothers completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Emotion Regulation Checklist, and the Child Behavior Checklist for their children aged 3–7. Children’s emotion regulation difficulties accounted for the indirect association between mothers’ lower emotion awareness and both internalizing and externalizing problems. On the other hand, children’s emotional negativity accounted for the indirect association between mothers’ difficulties with emotion regulation and behavior problems. Future directions for research and clinical intervention focused on promoting parental and child emotion regulation are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

Support for this work was provided by the Department of Defense Grant W81XWH-12-2-0034 (Julie Wargo Aikins, Principal Investigator, Deane Aikins, Co-Invesitgator). The views expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the US Government.

Author Contributions

L.C. analyzed the data and composed the introduction, results, and discussion. C.T. collaborated in the data analysis, the writing, and editing of the manuscript. D.A. designed and executed the study; wrote the method, and edited the final manuscript. J.W.A. designed and executed the study; wrote the method, and edited the final manuscript.

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  1. Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA

    Laura M. Crespo, Christopher J. Trentacosta, Deane Aikins & Julie Wargo-Aikins

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  1. Laura M. Crespo
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Correspondence to Laura M. Crespo.

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Crespo, L.M., Trentacosta, C.J., Aikins, D. et al. Maternal Emotion Regulation and Children’s Behavior Problems: The Mediating Role of Child Emotion Regulation. J Child Fam Stud 26, 2797–2809 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0791-8

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