Caregiving Quality As A Predictor Of Emotion Regulation And Behavior Problems In Early Childhood
Date
2021-05
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Children who are adopted internationally or involved in the foster care system early in life are at an increased risk for negative developmental outcomes due to experiences with inadequate and inconsistent caregiving. The current study examined whether caregiving quality, conceptualized as sensitivity and intrusiveness, predicted children’s later emotion regulation and behavior problems. I hypothesized that sensitive caregiving would be associated with better emotion regulation and fewer behavior problems in children, and that intrusive caregiving would be associated with worse emotion regulation and more behavior problems in children. I also hypothesized that better emotion regulation would be associated with fewer behavior problems. Children adopted internationally (n= 74) and foster children (n= 44) were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of an attachment-based parenting program, and a sample of low-risk children being raised by their biological parents were enrolled as a comparison group (n= 25). Caregiving quality was assessed through semi-structured play assessments when children were infants and toddlers. Children’s emotion regulation was examined using a frustrating lab task called the Perfect Circle Task and behavior problems were assessed using the parent-report version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) when children were five years old. More intrusive caregiving was found to be associated with worse emotion regulation skills during the frustration task than less intrusive caregiving. Higher levels of internalizing distress during the frustration task were associated with more behavior problems on the CBCL than lower levels of internalizing distress. Results suggest that caregiving quality may predict later emotion regulation, and that children’s emotion regulation is related to behavioral outcomes.
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Keywords
Caregiving quality, Early childhood, Emotional regulation, Foster children