Can you teach me not to be angry? Relations between temperament and the emotion regulation strategy distraction in 2‐year‐olds

Abstract

Let's read a book, it will calm you down," "Go, play on the trampoline, it will help you feel better," "Come cuddle, it will soothe you." Parents use directives like these every day, to teach their children various strategies for regulating their emotions. In selecting and using strategies for emotion regulation (ER), there is no onesize-fits-all solution, as children might react differently to strategies proposed by parents or teachers, depending on their age, temperament, the adult's or their own current mood state, and probably other factors. Research is scarce on identifying specific components. The present study, therefore, investigates relations between toddlers' temperament, their ER strategy distraction and possible learning mechanisms through observational learning.Emotion regulation is fundamental in mastering every-day challenges and life in its entirety, including physical and mental health, personality, and relationships (Gross, 2007;Koole, 2009). ER can be defined as "the process of modulating the occurrence, duration, and intensity of internal states of feeling (both positive and negative) and emotion-related physiological processes" (Morris et al., 2017, p. 1). Put simply, ER is one's ability to regulate one's feelings. It is assumed to play a key role in the development and maintenance of mental well-being and mental disorders (e.g., Feng et al., 2009;Hannesdottir & Ollendick, 2007;Suveg & Zeman, 2004). There is empirical support for this assumption. For example, in prospective studies with children, adolescents, and adults, maladaptive ER strategies predicted psychopathology (Abela et al., 2012;Aldao & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2012;McLaughlin et al., 2011). Not only has maladaptive ER been linked to unfavorable outcomes, but adaptive ER has also been related to favorable outcomes, such as social competences in young children (Blair et al., 2015;Denham et al., 2003;Spinrad et al., 2007). In sum, there is consistent evidence that ER plays an important role in children's emotional and social development and mental health (e.g., Aldao et al., 2016), but that ER strategies are wide-ranging and dependent on individual factors. Hence, understanding factors that shape early ER and

Research Through Design for Anger Co-Emotion Regulation Learning in Young Children: A Soft Toy Design for Deep Breathing

“…Modelling is one of the co-regulation practises experts recommend for teaching children to regulate their emotions. This finding is consistent with the existing literature in which it is argued that parents' modelling of regulation strategies helps children to learn about the strategy and increases the likelihood they will subsequently enact a particular strategy (Bariola et al, 2011;Miller et al, 2020;Morris et al, 2007Morris et al, , 2017Schoppmann et al, 2022). The importance of modelling can be explained by the fact that children imitate their parents' emotional practises through modelling; as a result, parental emotional practises are critical to a child's developing ER abilities (Bariola et al, 2011;Miller et al, 2020;Morris et al, 2007Morris et al, , 2017.…”

“…However, using distraction alone is ineffective. While the long-term consequences of using distraction frequently on an individual's mental health and development are unknown (Schoppmann et al, 2022), it is possible that excessive use of this strategy may result in maladaptive behaviours such as suppressing emotions. As a result, parents need to teach and practise adaptive strategies other than distraction to help their children manage their emotions.…”

The effect of picture book reading on young children’s use of an emotion regulation strategy

“…In studies with older children or adults, distraction can be operationalized as a mind-occupying task such as counting backwards [ 51 ]. Distraction in studies with younger samples is usually operationalized through toy exploration, as was done in the present study [ 31 , 32 , 34 ]. Toy exploration, however, might also elicit positive emotions and not only reduce negative emotions.…”

“…According to Bandura’s prominent social learning theory, young children learn most behaviors through imitation [ 30 ]. Recent research with 2-year-olds has shown that toddlers are able to apply the emotion regulation strategy distraction when being mildly frustrated after having observed an adult model do the same [ 31 , 32 ]. Distraction is an emotion regulation strategy that is widely considered to be helpful for young children in frustrating situations [ 33 – 35 ] and was defined as an interaction with a different object or talking about something else than the negative emotion eliciting stimulus.…”

“…The present study tested if 3-year-old children would alter their use of a particular emotion regulation strategy, namely distraction, as a result of reading a picture book that illustrates its use. All children participated in two waiting situations, which reliably induce negative affect [ 31 , 32 , 34 , 38 ]. Their emotion regulation strategies were assessed in each of these situations.…”