FR 1-9

12/06

Abstract

Child Emotion Regulation and the Family

Prepared by:

Mumbe Kithakye, Graduate Assistant Amanda Sheffield Morris, Ph.D., Associate Professor

Human Development & Family Science Human Development & Family Science

Oklahoma State University - Tulsa Oklahoma State University - Tulsa

700 North Greenwood Avenue 700 North Greenwood Avenue

Main Hall 2103 Main Hall 2103

Tulsa, OK 74106-0700 Tulsa, OK 74106-0700

918-594-8015 918-594-8361

mumbe.kithakye@okstate.edu amanda.morris@okstate.edu

Morris, A.S., Silk, J. S., Steinberg, L., Myers, S. S., Robinson, L. R. (in press). The role of the family context in the development of emotion regulation. Social Development.

Implications for Cooperative Extension. Emotion regulation is a key component of the health and well-being of children. This report presents information about the ways in which positive emotional development can be supported within families. The report is relevant to extension programs interested in promoting healthy children and families. Parents will also find the information valuable as they strive to encourage successful emotion management.

Overview

Research indicates that a child’s ability to regulate their emotional responses appropriately across different situations is integral to their healthy development. Children who are better able to regulate negative emotions are less likely to have behavioral or emotional problems. While there has been a growing interest in research on emotions, there is a lack of research on understanding how emotion regulation skills are developed and specifically what role parents have in the molding of those capabilities. The paper presents different ways parents influence the development of emotion regulation in children via a thorough examination and organization of research findings. The information indicates how families can expect to be involved in impacting their children’s ability to regulate emotions and consequent actions.

Family impact on emotion regulation

There are three important ways that a family can affect the development of emotion regulation in children: through observation, parenting practices and the emotional climate of the family.

1. Observation: Children learn to regulate their emotions by observing how other family members express and regulate their own emotions. This learning occurs as a result of social referencing, which involves watching how others respond to different situations and then using that information to guide responses; and modeling, whereby a child models frequently expressed emotions and responses of their parents when emotional distress occurs.

2. Parenting practices: The actions of parents in the course of emotional interactions with their children influence a child’s emotion regulation and emotional development. Research indicates that punitive responses to children’s emotions are associated with poor emotional adjustment. Instead of punishing children for expressing negative emotions, parents should be accepting of emotions, help children label emotions, and help them find ways to manage emotions in appropriate ways. The extent of parental involvement in actively teaching children to recognize and identify emotions, regulate their feelings, and cope with negative emotions is

influential in the development of emotion regulation.

Child Emotion Regulation and the Family continued

3. Emotional climate of the family: Parents play a major role in determining the emotional climate of the family, through the nature of marital relations and parenting style. Marital relations characterized by conflict and anger create a negative emotional climate that can lead to more emotional problems for children. Family emotional climate is also affected by the attitudes and behaviors of parents as they respond to the physical and emotional needs of their children. Children who are emotionally well-adjusted with few behavioral problems are more likely to have experienced a parenting style characterized by high acceptance, warmth and support, rather than a hostile, over-controlling parenting style.

It is important to note that other factors, such as child and parent characteristics (i.e., parent mental health, child temperament), are likely to affect the extent to which the family context influences children’s emotion regulation. Specifically, a child’s gender, temperament and developmental status affect how much the family impacts the child’s emotional regulation. For example, children with highly reactive temperaments are more likely to have behavior problems in a hostile family environment, and young children are more likely to model parental emotional responses compared to older children who are more influenced by peers. Parent characteristics such as parent mental health, levels of stress, and social support also can affect the extent to which family context impacts children’s emotion regulation.

Conclusion

The paper describes many ways that families can influence a child’s ability to regulate and adapt their emotions appropriately, presenting a tripartite model (Figure 1.) for understanding the relations between family context and children’s emotion regulation. The resulting information emphasizes the integral role that parents play in the development of children. While parents cannot program the exact emotional or behavioral responses of their children, they can influence the types of responses a child is more likely to express, through the emotional climate of the home, parenting practices utilized, and the emotional responses they express themselves.