Mechanisms of Change in Mindfulness-Based Family Intervention (MYmind) Versus Methylphenidate for Childhood ADHD: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Secular Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Efficacy and Neurobiology.

How mothers talk about emotional memories relates to their children's socioemotional development. However, there is a limited understanding of how this reminiscing relates to children's emotion regulation. Similarly, we know little about whether children's emotion regulation shapes how mothers reminisce. Therefore, in this study we examined the cross-lagged relations between mothers' observed reminiscing style (autonomy support, elaboration, and positive and negative evaluation) and children's emotion regulation. Twice, mother and child ( M age = 4.02 years, SD = 0.85, 47.2% female) pairs reminisced about a positive and a negative memory (T1, n = 89; T2, n = 63)—with 7 months apart. Additionally, at both timepoints, mothers completed a questionnaire assessing their child's emotion regulation skills. Through structural equation modeling, we found that during negative memory conversations, mothers positively evaluating their child's contributions was related to more adaptive emotion regulation in children across time. Regarding the opposite direction of influence, children's high emotional lability negatively related to mothers' autonomy support 7 months later, especially in the context of positive memories. There were no cross-lagged relations between mothers' elaboration or negative evaluation of children's contributions and child emotion regulation. Nevertheless, our findings suggest that parent-child reminiscing and children's emotion regulation mutually influence each other.

Difficulties with emotion regulation affect the majority of youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and predict greater functional impairment than ADHD symptoms alone. Deficits in executive functioning are also present for most children with ADHD, and have been linked with emotion regulation difficulties in both clinical and neurotypical populations throughout development. The current study was the first to assess all three core executive functions (working memory, inhibitory control, set shifting) simultaneously in a clinically-diverse sample of children with and without ADHD and common comorbidities and investigate the extent to which they uniquely predict emotion dysregulation. A sample of 151 children ages 8-13years (M = 10.36, SD = 1.52; 52 girls; 70.2% White/Non-Hispanic) were assessed using a criterion battery of executive functioning tasks, teacher-reported ADHD symptoms, and parent-reported emotion regulation. Results of the bias-corrected, bootstrapped conditional effects path model revealed that better-developed working memory predicted better emotion regulation (β = 0.23) and fewer ADHD symptoms (β = -0.21 to -0.37), that ADHD symptoms (β = -0.18 to -0.20) independently predicted emotion dysregulation, and that working memory exerted indirect effects on emotion regulation through both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity (β = 0.04-0.07). Sensitivity analyses indicated that these effects were generally robust to control for age, sex, executive function interrelations, and inclusion/exclusion of children with co-occurring ASD. These findings underscore the importance of working memory (relative to inhibitory control and set shifting) and its relations with ADHD symptoms for understanding children's emotion regulation skills, and may help explain the limited efficacy of first-line ADHD treatments, which do not target working memory, for improving emotion regulation skills.

• Mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) raised trait mindfulness in adults with ADHD. • ADHD symptoms, executive dysfunction, and delay aversion decreased after MBI. • Trait mindfulness and executive dysfunction serially mediated therapeutic effect. • Delay aversion was not a mediator when executive dysfunction was considered. • A randomized controlled trial design was employed. In the dual pathway model, executive dysfunction (EDF) and delay aversion (DEL) are key mechanisms underlying ADHD. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a pathway model to elucidate the mediating roles of trait mindfulness (TM), EDF, and DEL in mindfulness-based interventions’ (MBIs) impact on ADHD symptoms. 120 adults (M age =25.11, SD age =5.33) exhibiting elevated ADHD symptoms were randomized into either an 8-week MBI group (n=60) or a waitlist control group (n=60). ADHD symptoms, EDF, DEL, and TM were assessed. Structural equation modeling was used to examine a theoretical pathway model and construct a data-driven model. Compared with the control group, the intervention group exhibited significant reductions in EDF, DEL, and ADHD symptoms and increased TM. Changes in TM and EDF sequentially mediated the effect of MBI on ADHD symptom reduction. Additionally, changes in TM mediated the impact of MBI on DEL reduction. However, DEL reduction did not link to changes in ADHD symptoms when EDF and TM were considered. It empirically indicated that improvement in TM and, subsequently, improvement in EDF are possible therapeutic mechanisms of MBIs on adult ADHD symptoms. While increased TM was associated with DEL reductions, this pathway was insignificantly related to ADHD symptom reduction.

This study examined the effects of children's negative emotionality, emotional regulation, and maternal parenting behaviors on their relational and overt aggression. The participants were 355 children(174 boys, 181 girls; aged 4-5 years old) and their mothers. The teachers completed rating scales to measure the children's aggression and emotion regulation. The children's negative emotionality and maternal parenting behaviors were assessed by a mother reported questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlations, and hierarchical multiple regressions. Results showed that Children's negative emotionality was positively related to their relational and overt aggression. Children's emotional regulation had a negative relation to their relational and overt aggression. Mother's limit-setting and rejection-neglect was significantly related to children's relational aggression, whereas mother's warmth-encouragement and rejection-neglect was negatively related to children's overt aggression. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that the interaction of children's negative emotionality and mother's overprotection-permission predicted children's overt aggression. Children's negative emotionality, whose mothers demonstrated middle and high level of overprotection-permission, was associated significantly with overt aggression. In addition, the association between mother's parenting behaviors and children's aggressions were mediated by their emotion regulation. The findings point to similarities and differences between relational and overt aggression in relation to children's negative emotionality, emotional regulation and maternal parenting behaviors.

Parents engage in a variety of behaviors that have important impacts on children's psychosocial functioning, including their ability to effectively regulate emotions. Parental support includes behaviors that convey warmth, love, and acceptance, whereas parental psychological control includes shaming, guilt induction, and love withdrawal. Although the unique effects of these parenting behaviors are most often examined in the literature, it is possible that they may interact with one another to influence child outcomes. The goal of the present study was to examine whether parental psychological control moderated the effect of parental support on children's emotion (dys)regulation over a 6-month period. Participants included 284 third- through fifth-grade students (51.8% boys; 51.1% Hispanic/Latinx) as well as their homeroom teachers. Children completed self-report measures of parental support, psychological control, and emotion (dys)regulation during the fall and spring semesters of an academic year. Teachers also completed measures of emotion (dys)regulation at each time point. Results indicated that parental psychological control moderated the association between parental support and self-reported emotion regulation over time. Specifically, parental support predicted increases in emotion regulation over time among youth reporting lower levels of psychological control; at higher levels, however, parental support was not associated with emotion regulation. Furthermore, psychological control uniquely predicted increases in child-reported emotion dysregulation, whereas parental support predicted decreases in teacher-reported emotion dysregulation. Findings from this study suggest that psychological control may serve as an important target for future parenting interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of mother empathy and social support to emotional regulation children with ADHD symptoms. SPSS version 20.0 for Windows was used for data analysis to verify the relations and affects. Relations and regression test were conducted. The results of this study are summarized as follows. Mother empathy showed the highest positive correlation with social support and emotional regulation. In the relationship between mother empathy and emotional regulation, it was found that mother empathy directly affects emotional regulation. This study has significance in terms that it proved the effects of a mother empathy and social support to emotional regulation of children with ADHD symptoms.

“Emotion Regulation in Children and Adolescents” is written as a “practitioner's guide” to facilitating emotion regulation in elementary school–age children to adolescents. The book, written and directed toward therapists, is divided into 2 sections; the first section provides an overview and theoretical background on emotions and emotion regulation, whereas the second part provides treatment strategies to develop skills in emotion awareness and emotion regulation. Although the book was not intended to serve as a stand-alone treatment program, it offers a set of modular treatment interventions to address emotion-related deficits in elementary school–age children and older. Although the modules are not designed to address specific DSM-5 diagnoses, the interventions may help mitigate the symptoms associated with DSM-5 conditions. Of note, the author states that the interventions discussed have been validated in the outpatient and school settings and may be generalizable to other settings. Although written and directed to therapists working with children, the content and strategies presented may be relevant for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP) practitioners as well. The theoretical background presents an overview of “emotion science,” including information related to emotion, emotional competence, and related constructs including emotion awareness, emotion understanding, empathy, and emotion regulation, which form the foundation for the intervention modules presented later in the book. The author presents clear, simple, and understandable definitions of these concepts with concrete examples, which may be useful to present in a clinical encounter. For example, “emotion awareness” is defined as “knowing about one's own (or others') emotional experience,” with an example of how a child may feel multiple feelings simultaneously. The book also includes a chapter on “Emotion-Related Assessments” and presents several questionnaires, structured interviews, and observational protocols, which may be useful in clinical and research settings. The remaining chapters in the first section of the book present an overview of functional suggestions for implementing a treatment plan and strategies to foster parent involvement, engage challenging clients, and provide sensitive, culturally competent care. For practitioners who provide therapy to patients, the major use of this text is found in the second part of the book, which delineates 8 treatment modules to foster skills in emotion regulation (i.e., Emotion Awareness Skills, Emotion Understanding Skills, Empathy Skills, and 5 skills related to Emotion Regulation: Prevention, Mastery, Expression, Basic Cognitive, and Emotion-Specific Cognitive Skills). The ordering of the modules follows typical developmental progression, whereby earlier modules may be most applicable to younger children or those with less emotional maturity. The modules are designed to be stand-alone in nature, without dependence on preceding or subsequent modules; however, this leads to redundancy if the book is read continuously. Each of the modules provides information regarding intended use and objectives, as well as activities and games aimed at teaching and practicing the desired skill; there are often associated materials, such as handouts, provided. Overall strengths of the book include its organized and clearly delineated structure. In addition, the author draws on the evidence-based literature for the discussion of fundamental tenants. The book discusses pitfalls to be mindful of, as well as limitations of use. Additional limitations include the heavy reliance on the use of electronics during activities and redundancy related to duplicate information presented in the different treatment modules. The treatment modules also require significant preparation, making implementation within a DBP clinical setting more challenging. Although it might be difficult to enact all the activities as directed in the context of a busy DBP clinic, the treatment strategies could be implemented with families with the aid of a behavioral health specialist providing directed support and scaffolding. “Emotion Regulation in Children and Adolescents” is clearly written for the intended audience of psychology practitioners; however, the text may be of some use to medical DBP practitioners as well. The book provides useful language regarding how to describe and support the development of emotion recognition and regulation, which may be helpful for practitioners who are addressing emotion-related deficits in elementary school–age children and older.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) in the home-a prevalent environmental risk for children-exemplifies a key factor that may alter the role of attentional bias to threat (ABT) in children's psychological adjustment. The current study aims to (1) examine potential variations in ABT and emotion regulation across animal and face stimuli and (2) test IPV as a potential moderator of the relationship between ABT and child outcomes. Participating children (N = 37) completed computerized tasks assessing ABT. Mothers provided data on IPV in the home, child victimization, and child emotion regulation. Children's ABT toward animal stimuli was not associated with emotion regulation; IPV significantly moderated the link between ABT and emotion regulation (β = - 0.06, p < .001). At low levels of IPV, children's ABT and emotion regulation were not related, but at high levels of IPV, ABT was negatively associated with emotion regulation skills. The relevance of ABT for understanding functioning may vary by both stimulus selection and by previous experiences of environmental risk.

Objective: We describe qualitative results on facilitators and barriers to participating in a family mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) for youth with ADHD and their parents and perceived effects on child and parent. Method: Sixty-nine families started the 8-week protocolized group-based MBI called “MYmind.” After the MBI, individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of parents (n = 20), children (n = 17, ages 9–16 years), and mindfulness teachers (n = 3). Interviews were analyzed using Grounded Theory. Results: Facilitators and barriers regarding contextual factors (e.g., time investment), MBI characteristics (e.g., parallel parent–child training), and participant characteristics (e.g., ADHD-symptoms) are described. Perceived effects were heterogeneous: no/adverse effects, awareness/insight, acceptance, emotion regulation/reactivity, cognitive functioning, calmness/relaxation, relational changes, generalization. Conclusion: MYmind can lead to a variety of transferable positively perceived effects beyond child ADHD-symptom decrease. Recommendations on MYmind participant inclusion, program characteristics, mindfulness teachers, and evaluating treatment efficacy are provided.

Emotional dysregulation represents a central challenge for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), limiting their social adaptation and overall quality of life. This paper explores the role of mental health education (MHE) as a structured rehabilitation strategy to enhance emotional regulation in autistic children. Drawing on theories of emotion regulation, social-emotional learning, and developmental-behavioral models, this study highlights the effectiveness of educational interventions in improving emotional awareness, expression, and coping skills. Data from surveys with parents and teachers in Shandong Province demonstrate that children who participated in MHE exhibited higher levels of self-regulation, emotional stability, and social adaptability. The study concludes that integrating MHE into autism rehabilitation systems offers significant theoretical and practical contributions to special education and psychology.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between executive function, emotion regulation and language ability in children aged 3-6 years. A total of 180 children from 10 kindergartens were selected as the research subjects. The results showed that executive function and language ability had a positive predictive effect on children's emotion regulation, and language ability played a complete mediating role in the relationship between executive function and emotion regulation. Studies have shown that preschool educators should pay attention to the development of children's language ability, so as to promote the development of children's executive function and emotional regulation ability.

Research on emotional dysregulation related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and its effects on family functioning in children is scarce. This is the first study conducted in Indonesia to examine the intricate relationships between ADHD symptoms, emotional regulation, and family functioning in children. A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving primary caregivers of children aged 9-13 years old across three elementary schools in Surabaya, using validated questionnaires comprising the Indonesian ADHD Rating Scale, Emotion Regulation Checklist, and Family APGAR scale. The findings revealed a positive association between ADHD features and the emotional lability/negativity subscale (ERLN) (r=0.528; p<0.001), but not the emotion regulation subscale (EREG). Moreover, family functioning positively correlated with ERLN (r= -0.269; p=0.003) and negatively correlated with EREG (r=0.331; p<0.001). Parental education emerged as a significant demographic factor, with higher education levels linked to better emotion regulation (r=0.297; p=0.001). These findings underscore the importance of addressing ADHD symptoms and emotional dysregulation in children in order to enhance family functioning and overall well-being. Implications for future research and interventions targeting emotion regulation, especially in children with ADHD and their families, are also discussed.

Exposure to early life adversity (ELA) is associated with increased rates of psychopathology and poor physical health. The present study builds on foundational work by Megan Gunnar identifying how ELA results in poor long-term outcomes through alterations in the stress response system, leading to major disruptions in emotional and behavioral regulation. Specifically, the present study tested the direct effects of ELA against the role of parent socialization to shed light on the mechanisms by which ELA leads to emotion regulation deficits. Children ages 4-7 years (N = 64) completed interviews about their experiences of deprivation and threat, a fear conditioning and extinction paradigm, and an IQ test. Parents of the children completed questionnaires regarding their own emotion regulation difficulties and psychopathology, their children's emotion regulation, and child exposure to adversity. At the bivariate level, greater exposure to threat and parental difficulties with emotion regulation were associated with poorer emotion regulation in children, assessed both via parental report and physiologically. In models where parental difficulties with emotion regulation, threat, and deprivation were introduced simultaneously, regression results indicated that parental difficulties with emotion regulation, but not deprivation or threat, continued to predict children's emotion regulation abilities. These results suggest that parental socialization of emotion is a robust predictor of emotion regulation tendencies in children exposed to early adversity.

Examine maternal and paternal ADHD and ASD symptoms in relation to very preterm (VPT) and full-term (FT) children's ADHD and ASD symptoms. In this longitudinal study, maternal- and teacher-report of child ADHD and ASD symptoms were obtained for 119 children (VPT = 79, FT = 40) at age 5-years using the Conner's Rating Scale-Revised (CRS-R) and Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2). A biological parent completed self- and observer-report CRS-R and SRS-2, and measures of mood/affect, stress, and social support to assess psychosocial distress. Data were analyzed using mixed-effect models adjusted for covariates. Child ADHD symptoms were associated with VPT birth, maternal distress, and maternal ADHD symptoms (p ≤ 0.02), and paternal ADHD symptoms (p < 0.001). Regarding ASD, VPT birth and parental ASD symptoms were associated with child ASD symptoms (p ≤ 0.009). Parental symptoms and birth group had no interaction. VPT birth and parental psychopathology represent independent risks for ADHD and ASD.