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Emotion Regulation in Elementary School-Aged Children with a Maternal History of Suicidal Behavior: A Pilot Study

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Abstract

Parental history of suicidal behavior is associated with an increased risk of early onset suicidal behavior in their offspring. The objective of this pilot study was to compare clinical characteristics, temperament, and emotion regulation in children, aged 6–9 years, with (PH+) and without (PH−) a maternal history of suicidal behavior to determine which factors could be markers of early vulnerability. At baseline, PH+ children, compared to PH− children, demonstrated more difficulties with temperament, emotion regulation, and experienced more life events in the year prior to their baseline appointment. At study follow-ups, however, no differences were found between PH+ and PH− children. Results suggest there are some signals of early vulnerability present in children with a maternal history of suicidal behavior and recruitment/retention of this group of youth is feasible.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the families who participated in this pilot study and the primary care staff and doctors who allowed us to recruit from their facilities. This research did not receive any specific grant funding from any agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA

    Arielle H. Sheftall, Connor Bauer, Fatima Vakil, Emily Armstrong & Jeffrey A. Bridge

  2. Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA

    Arielle H. Sheftall

  3. Department of Counseling, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Emory E. Bergdoll

  4. The Rutgers School of Public Health, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Monaé James

  5. School of Law, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

    Elisabeth Spector

  6. John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jakob Allen

  7. Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA

    Jeffrey A. Bridge

  8. Center for Suicide Prevention and Research, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion, 2nd Floor, 444 Butterfly Gardens Dr, Columbus, OH, 43215, USA

    Arielle H. Sheftall

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  1. Arielle H. Sheftall
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Correspondence to Arielle H. Sheftall.

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Sheftall, A.H., Bergdoll, E.E., James, M. et al. Emotion Regulation in Elementary School-Aged Children with a Maternal History of Suicidal Behavior: A Pilot Study. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 51, 792–800 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-020-01010-8

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