Reconceptualising emotion dysregulation in the context of middle childhood: A scoping review of reviews

Background

Recent research has suggested that emotion dysregulation (ED) is a key mechanism which explains the associations between mental health illnesses, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and internalising problems, among youth. However, literature reviews have led to mixed and inconclusive findings on the conceptualisations of ED. Specifically, understanding ED in the context of middle childhood, otherwise known as ‘the forgotten years’, may be crucial, as it serves as a significant developmental stage, where children develop a sense of self and rationalise their emotions. This scoping review aims to address the present challenge of conceptualising ED during middle childhood.

Methods

ProQuest, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science were searched in October 2024. Articles were included if ED and emotional dysregulation (including positive emotions) were conceptualised, if the paper was a review (i.e., scoping, literature, meta-analysis etc), participants of the target age range (6–12-year) were in the sample, and papers were in English. Studies were excluded if the sample included other age groups, such as infants and pre-schoolers, alongside focussing on other phenomena, such as self-regulation.

Results

The current scoping review explored the conceptualisations drawn from research studies conducted in the United States, Germany, Austria, France, and Australia. 11 studies were included in this review and two key themes were extrapolated (a) issues with processing emotions (i.e., emotion generation/reactivity) and (b) issues with adopting appropriate emotion regulation strategies and the failure in doing so, leading to issues in attaining goal-directed behaviours.

Conclusions

The findings support the importance of considering how ED should be measured, based on holistic perspectives of the mechanism, alongside clinical screening for emotional deficits at earlier stages of life.