Shafaqna Health: Children who struggle to regulate their emotions at age 7 are more likely to develop anxiety and depression during adolescence, according to a new study released by Psypost.
Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, the research found that emotional dysregulation in early childhood remained linked to later internalising problems even after accounting for prior mental health issues and other background factors.
Led by Aja Murray of the University of Edinburgh, the study analyzed data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, tracking thousands of children from ages 7 to 17. Parents reported children’s emotion regulation at age 7, while symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured at ages 11, 14 and 17 using questionnaires completed by parents, teachers and the children themselves.
Using counterfactual analysis, the researchers compared children with similar early-life backgrounds, including parenting style, socioeconomic disadvantage, sleep habits and cognitive ability. The findings suggest that poor emotion regulation may be a meaningful early target for preventing later mental health problems.
Source: Psypost
