Emotion Regulation Trajectories at Ages 3 to 7 Years Tied to ADHD Symptoms at 7 Years

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Trajectories of emotion regulation across ages 3 to 7 years predict attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, as well as conduct problems, according to a study recently published online in Development and Psychopathology.

Aja Louise Murray, Ph.D., from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, and colleagues used data from more than 19,000 children in the U.K.-based Millennium Cohort Study to evaluate whether developmental trajectories of emotion regulation across ages 3, 5, and 7 years predict levels of ADHD symptoms, internalizing problems, and conduct problems at age 7 years. 

The researchers found that both higher initial levels of and slower reductions in emotion dysregulation across ages 3, 5, and 7 years predicted higher ADHD symptoms, conduct problems, and internalizing problems at age 7 years. Findings were seen in both male and female children.

“Emotion regulation skills are acquired from early in life and are thought to strengthen gradually over childhood. Children, however, acquire these skills at different rates and slower acquisition may serve as a marker for neurodevelopmental and mental health issues,” Murray said in a statement. “Our findings suggest that monitoring trajectories of emotion regulation over development could help identify which children are at risk of mental health issues.” 

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