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Emotion regulation strategies and later externalizing behavior among European American and African American children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2009

Lauren H. Supplee ,
Emily Moye Skuban ,
Daniel S. Shaw  and
Joanna Prout
Lauren H. Supplee*
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Emily Moye Skuban
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Daniel S. Shaw
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Joanna Prout
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Lauren H. Supplee, 8320 Draper Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910; E-mail: lauren.supplee@gmail.com.
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Abstract

Children's early emotion regulation strategies (ERS) have been related to externalizing problems; however, most studies have included predominantly European American, middle-class children. The current study explores whether ERS use may have differential outcomes as a function of the mother's ethnic culture. The study utilizes two diverse samples of low-income male toddlers to examine observed ERS during a delay of gratification task in relation to maternal and teacher reports of children's externalizing behavior 2 to 6 years later. Although the frequencies of ERS were comparable between ethnic groups in both samples, the use of physical comfort seeking and self-soothing was positively related to African American children's later externalizing behavior but negatively related to externalizing behavior for European American children in Sample 1. Data from Sample 2 appear to support this pattern for self-soothing in maternal, but not teacher, report of externalizing behavior. Within group differences by income were examined as a possible explanatory factor accounting for the ethnic differences, but it was not supported. Alternative explanations are discussed to explain the pattern of findings.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , May 2009 , pp. 393 - 415
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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