Patrick Frato, Ed.S., NCSP, SP597
Lecturer in School Psychology
School Psychology Program
Cleveland State University
Gabriela Alvarez, B.A.
Graduate Student
School Psychology Program
Cleveland State University
Description of Emotional Regulation
Emotional Regulation refers to how and why individuals experience particular emotions, as well as how those emotions are expressed (Compare, Zarbo, Shonin, Gordon, & Marconi, 2014). Emotions play an essential role in learning and one’s ability to regulate emotions is critical to school success. Students who demonstrate persistently positive attitudes and behaviors in school are well positioned for high achievement. Poor emotional regulators, on the other hand, struggle with substandard achievement, inadequate social skills, and low motivation (Kwon, Hanrahan, & Kuozyk, 2017).
Research Individuals regulate emotions by applying various behavioral and cognitive techniques. These techniques often vary by gender. Boys tend to either directly confront or completely deny a conflict, whereas girls respond through verbal emotional expressions with friends and families (Pascual, Conejero, & Etxebarria, 2016). Age-related differences also exist, especially during adolescence. Adolescents may be able to reason as well as adults, but often have difficulty applying logical decision-making during times of stress and heightened emotional states (Voon, Hasking, & Martin, 2014).
The impact of emotional dysregulation is evident at a biological level and may manifest in a range of harmful consequences. Poon, Turpyn, Hansen, Jacangelo, and Chaplin (2016) found that “cortisol levels and cortisol reactivity to stress have been linked in several studies to both substance use and to several forms of externalized and internalized psychological problems in adolescence” (p. 369). These problems may include eating disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct problems, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and non-suicidal self-injury (Aldao, Glee, Reyes, & Seager, 2016). Growing evidence suggests that effective emotional self-regulation skills may protect against the development of psychopathology (Trompetter, Kleine, & Bohlmeijer, 2017). Such skills must often be taught explicitly and the earlier children learn and practice these techniques, the more likely they are to apply them on a regular basis. While all children benefit from emotional regulation training, some—those who have experienced trauma, family conflict, community violence etc.—are at higher risk for developing emotional regulation disorders (Dvir, Ford, Hill, & Frazier, 2014).
It’s possible that an adolescent’s ability to self-regulate emotions may be the single greatest factor in determining school success and mental health. Left unchecked, emotional dysregulation often accompanies individuals into adulthood. Put differently, biological maturation is not an intervention for emotional dysregulation. As evidence, an adolescent’s ability to self-regulate is closely linked to several adult outcomes: overall academic attainment, relationship health, ability to maintain a job, and positive mental health (Conover & Daiute, 2017).
Strategies for Success
It is essential to intervene early to minimize the potential impact inappropriate self-regulation skills can have across the lifespan. The school environment allows for students to develop and practice self regulation strategies and problem-solving skills (Herndon & Bembenutty, 2016). Educators might therefore consider the following recommendations to increase self-regulation skills in students.
- Education. Increase student, parent, and educator awareness and understanding of emotional regulation, as well as its impact on behavior and mental health. This is often a critical first step to addressing issues of emotional dysregulation (Cunningham, Raffaele Mendez, & Sundman-Wheat, 2011).
- Assessment. Utilize assessment tools to both screen for and progress monitor students with emotional regulation concerns. Practitioners should match assessment with intervention and monitor the progress of interventions (Weems & Pina, 2010).
- Prevention. Identify and manipulate antecedent conditions that trigger strong emotions, rather than attempting to respond to such emotions after they’ve occurred. Several downregulation and upregulation strategies may be deployed in response to triggers, or may be used to avoid triggers altogether (Webb, Miles, & Sheeran, 2012).
- Down regulation. Utilize and teach techniques that decrease negative emotions and sensations. These might include (but are not limited to) progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, visualization, distraction, yoga, and meditation (Gross, 1998).
- Upregulation. Alternatively, utilize and teach techniques that increase positive emotions. These might include (but are not limited to) laughing at one’s own mistakes, allowing students to choose academic activities, encouraging children to complete activities that boost confidence, reframing situations positively (glass half full), and focusing on strengths (Quoidbach, Berry, Hansenne, & Mikolajczak, 2010).
- CBT, DBT, and Mindfulness. Consider cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectal behavior therapy, and mindfulness. These techniques are often effective in improving emotional regulation skills in adolescence (Ng, 2017). See “Resource.”
- Person or Place. Designate a person or place accessible to students when they are not able to cope with negative emotions. This strategy is often more effective than punishing poor emotional regulators (Papolos & Papolos, 2006).
- Case Management. Provide a list of referrals. Families of children with emotional regulation problems often seek out psychiatric care. School psychologists should be prepared with a list of providers and collaborate with outside agencies to facilitate communication between parents and teachers about the impact of medications, accommodations for taking medications, and possible side-effects (Cunningham, Raffaele Mendez, & Sundman-Wheat, 2011).
References
Aldao, A., Gee, D. G., De Los Reyes, A., & Seager, I. (2016). Emotion regulation as a transdiagnostic factor in the development of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology: Current and future directions. Development &
Psychopathology, 28(4pt1), 927-946. doi:10.1017/S0954579416000638
Compare, A., Zarbo, C., Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Marconi, C. (2014). Emotional regulation and depression: A potential mediator between heart and mind. Cardiovascular Psychiatry & Neurology, 1-10. doi:10.1155/2014/324374
Conover, K., & Daiute, C. (2017). The process of self-regulation in adolescents: A narrative approach. Journal of Adolescence, 57, 59-68. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.03.006
Cunningham, J., Raffaele Mendez, L.M., & Sundman-Wheat, A.N. (2011). Best practices in working with students with emotional dysregulation. Communiqué, 40(3).
Dvir, Y., Ford, J.D., Hill, M., & Frazier, J.A. (2014). Childhood maltreatment, emotional dysregulation, and psychiatric comorbidities. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 22(3), 149-161. doi: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000014
Gross, J.J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271-299. doi: 1089-2680/98/$3.00
Herndon, J. S., & Bembenutty, H. (2017). Self-regulation of learning and performance among students enrolled in a disciplinary alternative school. Personality & Individual Differences, 104, 266-271. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2016.08.027
Kwon, K., Hanrahan, A. R., & Kupzyk, K. A. (2017). Emotional expressivity and emotion regulation: Relation to academic functioning among elementary school children. School Psychology Quarterly, 32(1), 75-88. doi:10.1037/spq0000166
Ng, J.Z. (2017). Riding the waves of emotion in adolescence. Communiqué, 45(8).
Papolos, D., & Papolos, J. (2006). The bipolar child: The definitive and reassuring guide to childhood’s most misunderstood disorder. New York, NY: Broadway Books.
Pascual, A., Conejero, S., & Etxebarria, I. (2016). Coping strategies and emotion regulation in adolescents: Adequacy and gender differences. Ansiedad Y Estrés, 22(1), 1-4. doi:10.1016/j.anyes.2016.04.002
Poon, J., Turpyn, C., Hansen, A., Jacangelo, J., & Chaplin, T. (2016). Adolescent substance use & psychopathology: Interactive effects of cortisol reactivity and emotion regulation. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 40(3), 368-380. doi:10.1007/s10608-015-9729-x
Quoidbach, J., Berry, E.V., Hansenne, M. & Mikolajczak, M. (2010). Positive emotion regulation and well-being: Comparing the impact of eight savoring and dampening strategies. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(5), 368-373. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.03.048
Trompetter, H., Kleine, E., & Bohlmeijer, E. (2017). Why does positive mental health buffer against psychopathology? An exploratory study on self-compassion as a resilience mechanism and adaptive emotion regulation strategy. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 41(3), 459-468. doi:10.1007/s10608-016-9774-0
Voon, D., Hasking, P., & Martin, G. (2014). Emotion regulation in first episode adolescent non-suicidal self-injury: What difference does a year make? Journal of Adolescence, 37(7), 1077-1087. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.07.020
Webb, T.L., Miles, E., & Sheeran, P. (2012). Dealing with feeling: A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of strategies derived from the process model of emotion regulation. Psychology Bulletin, 138(4), 775-808. doi: 10.1037/a0027600
Weems, C.F., & Pina, A.A. (2010). The assessment of emotion regulation: Improving construct validity in research on psychopathology in youth—An introduction to the special section. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 32(1), 1-7. doi: 10.1007/s10862-010-9178-5