From Toddler to Early Adolescent Emotion Regulation Strategies

NCT06627777 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: NIHKielR032024
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 204
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will examine the relation between behavioral emotion regulation (ER) strategies at toddler age 3 to cognitive ER strategies in early adolescence as part of an ongoing longitudinal study of children's typical development. Aim 1 is to test whether self-soothing/caregiver-focused and distraction behavioral ER strategies at child age 3 predict avoidant and engaging cognitive ER strategies, respectively, at a follow-up assessment to be completed when children are 10-15 years old. In a completed wave of data collection, children's ER behaviors were elicited in laboratory tasks characterized by threat (novelty and uncertainty) at age 3. Avoidant and engaged cognitive ER strategies will be assessed by youth self-report, parent-report, and interviews with youth after they engage in new laboratory tasks characterized by mild threat. Hypothesis 1a: Self-soothing/caregiver-focused toddler behavioral ER strategies will predict avoidant cognitive strategies in early adolescence. Hypothesis 1b: The toddler behavioral ER strategy of distraction will predict engaged cognitive ER strategies in early adolescence. To provide additional developmental information, Aim 2 is to test whether child age at the follow up assessment (ranging 10-15 years) moderates the relation between behavioral ER strategies at age 3 and cognitive emotion regulatory strategies in early adolescence. Hypothesis 2: Because older children will have undergone more development underlying cognitive ER strategies, relations specified in Hypotheses 1a and 1b will strengthen across older ages. Finally, the Exploratory Aim is to test theoretically-supported individual (i.e., inhibited/fearful temperament) and environmental (i.e., family emotional environment) variables as potential mediators or moderators of the relation between behavioral ER strategies at age 3 and cognitive ER strategies in early adolescence. The investigators expect inhibited/fearful temperament to be involved in the link between behavioral ER strategies and avoidant cognitive ER strategies. The investigators expect the emotional family environment to be involved in linking behavioral ER strategies to both avoidant and engaged ER strategies.

Conditions

Emotion Regulation

Keywords

emotion; emotion regulation; reappraisal; avoidance; children; adolescence

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents

  Parent- and child self-report versions of this survey measure, including 6-item Reappraisal subscale and 4-item Expressive Suppression subscale

  3 minutes (at 1.5 hour laboratory visit)

• Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth-Short Form

  Parent- and child self-report versions of this survey measure, which provides an 8-item subscale of Experiential Avoidance

  2 minutes (at 1.5 hour laboratory visit)

• Children's Response Styles Questionnaire

  Parent- and child self-report versions of this survey measure, which provides a 5-item subscale of Problem-Solving/Reflection, and a 5-item subscale of Rumination/Brooding

  2 minutes (at 1.5 hour laboratory visit)

• Avoidant emotion regulation strategies to threat

  Interview responses regarding use of expressive suppression, experiential avoidance, and rumination/brooding strategies

  1.5 hours (at laboratory visit)

• Engaged emotion regulation strategies

  Interview responses regarding use of reappraisal and problem-solving/reflection strategies

  1.5 hours (at laboratory visit)

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Electrocardiogram

  1.5 hours over the course of laboratory visit

• Children's Responses to Feelings Checklist

  1.5 hours (at laboratory visit)

Study Arms (1)

Emotion regulation observation in early adolescence

OTHER

All children will experience brief standardized laboratory tasks according to the same protocol.

Behavioral: Laboratory tasks in early adolescence

Interventions

Laboratory tasks in early adolescence BEHAVIORAL

Children will watch a 2-minute clip from a live-action movie and complete Storytelling and Mask tasks from the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery.

Emotion regulation observation in early adolescence

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 10 Years - 15 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Family participated in previous phases of this ongoing longitudinal study
• Child was 35-42 months old for the age 3 assessment (pre-existing data)
• Child is between 10 and 15 years of age for proposed data collection
• Mothers were older than 18 years of age at original enrollment (pre-existing data).
• Mothers were able to complete study procedures in English.

You may not qualify if:

• Informed consent/assent is declined
• Child diagnosed with a developmental disability or chronic health condition related to deviations in expected emotional development.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Miami University: lead
• University of California, Riverside: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Miami University Department of Psychology

Oxford, Ohio, 45056, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Emotional Regulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Self-Control; Social Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Elizabeth J Kiel Luebbe, Ph.D.

  Miami University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: All children will experience brief standardized laboratory tasks according to the same protocol.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 2, 2024
• First Posted: October 4, 2024
• Study Start: October 23, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Last Updated: July 29, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Data will be posted towards the end of the grant period (months 21-24), should funding be received. Data will be available indefinitely.
• Access Criteria: Academic affiliation.

Locations

US (1)