About this srcd poster session

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Panel information
Panel 6. Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract

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Emotional reactivity has been identified as a key indicator of environmental sensitivity in children (Lionetti & Pluess, 2024). Accordingly, children with high emotional reactivity (i.e., high intensity, frequency and persistence of emotions) may be more vulnerable to mental health problems when exposed to Early Life Stress (ELS). In addition, ELS has been suggested to shape emotional development, including emotional reactivity, leading to developmental risks (Milojevich et al., 2021; Smith & Pollak, 2020). In other words, emotional reactivity may play both moderating and mediating role in how ELS influences the development. Specifically, high emotional reactivity in children exposed to ELS may underlie the development of their emotion regulation (ER; Eskisu et al., 2022; Lavi et al., 2019; Sperati et al., 2022). For example, adults with a history of ELS tend to rely on specific ER strategies, such as higher use of rumination and suppression, lower use of reappraisal, and greater anger control problems, predisposing them to mental health problems (Madole et al., 2020; Miu et al., 2022). However, the complex mechanisms and pathways between ELS and emotional reactivity that influence ER development are not yet fully understood. Therefore, this longitudinal study tests the moderating and mediating roles of emotional reactivity in the relationship between ELS and ER strategies. First, according to our moderation hypothesis, we expect emotional reactivity in middle childhood strengthen the detrimental effects of ELS on ER. Second, according to our mediation hypothesis, we expect the effects of ELS on ER to occur through heightened emotional reactivity in middle childhood.

The sample consisted of 885 Finnish families participating in a 20-year longitudinal study, with data collected from pregnancy to infancy (T1-T3), middle childhood (ages 7-8; T4), and late adolescence (ages 17-19; T5). ELS was measured both prospectively (T1-T3) through parental reports of family relationship and mental health problems, and retrospectively (T5) through adolescent self-reports of adverse childhood experiences. Emotional reactivity in middle childhood (T4) was assessed via parental reports. Emotion regulation strategies (i.e., rumination, suppression, reappraisal, and anger control), were self-reported by the adolescents (T5).

We will use Structural After Measurement estimation strategy to examine whether emotional reactivity in middle childhood moderates or mediates the effects of ELS on ER in late adolescence. Our preliminary results suggest that retrospective ELS is associated with anger control problems (β = .47, p < .001), higher use of rumination (β = .24, p = .001), and lower use of reappraisal (β = -.12, p = .041), but it is not significantly linked with suppression (p > .05). We will extend these findings by examining the potential moderating and mediating roles of middle childhood emotional reactivity in the associations. The results will be presented at the conference. Our study advances the understanding of how ELS shapes emotional development and mental health by shedding light on the complex role of emotional reactivity.

Author information

Author	Role
Maria Konttinen, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Tampere University	Presenting author
Jaakko Tammilehto, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki	Non-presenting author
Mervi Vänskä, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Tampere University	Non-presenting author
Marjo Flykt, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki	Non-presenting author
Jallu Lindblom, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Tampere University	Non-presenting author

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