How does ability to self-regulate relate to risk for depression and anxiety in young children?
Children who struggle with developing skills to regulate their big emotions and reactive behavior are frequently viewed as 'problematic,' 'lazy,' 'disruptive,' and 'all over the place' in classrooms, on playgrounds, and at family dinners. Indeed, children who lag in developing age-appropriate self-regulation (SR) are at increased risk for short- and long-term educational, professional, and interpersonal difficulties. However, the nature of the relationship between SR and early signs of depression and anxiety is currently unclear due to a number of reasons. Firstly, our understanding of development of SR in young children is complicated by the lack of agreement between two independent yet equally relevant research literatures in the fields of developmental psychology and cognitive neuropsychology. Secondly, deficits in traditionally used SR assessment methods have been reported. We aim to integrate two research traditions in the fields of developmental psychology and cognitive neuropsychology to develop a more in-depth understanding of SR preschoolers by combining information from a novel parent-report questionnaire, behavioral tasks completed by young children, and their brain wave data collected during such tasks. By capitalizing on the information from multiple sources by using advanced statistical analyses, we hope to shed light on the nature and structure of SR in preschoolers (N=120), a critical period for evolving capacity to self-regulate, and clarify its relationship with early emerging signs of depression and anxiety. Our findings will be helpful to families, clinical scientists, mental health professionals, and policymakers by providing a set of tools for early identification and information for timely interventions for young children with difficulties in developing age-appropriate ability to self-regulate with the goal of preventing long-term disruptions in daily functioning and mental health.