Can we identify emotion over-regulation in infancy? Associations with avoidant attachment, dyadic emotional interaction and temperament

• Autor(a) principal: Martins, Eva Costa
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Outros Autores: Soares, Isabel, Martins, Carla, Tereno, Susana, Osório, Ana Alexandra Caldas
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/22693
• topic: Emotion regulation style; Emotion over-regulation; Avoidant attachment; Mother–infant emotional interaction; Infant temperament; Social Sciences

Emotion over-regulation in infancy has seldom been the focus of empirical research. This study analysed the specificities of overregulation when compared with under-regulation (maladaptive) and adaptive regulation by testing its association with attachment, dyadic emotional interaction, and temperament. The sample consisted of 52 low-risk mother–infant dyads. During a home visit, dyadic emotional interaction was assessed in the daily routines and free play of 10-month-old infants. The infant’s emotion regulation was assessed using the Shape Sorter Task, and a temperament questionnaire was completed by the mother.Attachmentwas assessed at 12 or 16 months using the Strange Situation. As hypothesized, (i) emotion overregulation (versus adaptive regulation) was predicted by a lower quality of dyadic emotional interaction and marginally by avoidant attachment; (ii) over-regulation (versus under-regulation) was predicted by avoidant attachment; and (iii) the predictive role of avoidant attachment was substantiated after controlling for another measure of mother–infant interaction. Contrary to expectations, temperament did not distinguish between emotion regulation styles. The link between over-regulation and lower quality of mother–infant emotional interaction and avoidant attachment was demonstrated. There is empirical support to the claim that it is possible to identify emotion overregulation in infancy and that it is a maladaptive style of emotion regulation.