Project Details
Projekt
The association between self-regulation facets and internalising symptoms in the course from middle childhood to emerging adulthood
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Annette M. Klein
Subject Area
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Term
since 2021
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 426314138
Internalising symptoms such as anxiety, depressive symptoms, withdrawal, and somatic symptoms are among the most common psychological problems in childhood, adolescence and adulthood and are associated with severe impairments. Regarding the genesis of these symptoms, various facets of self-regulation have come into scientific focus. Studies have shown that a low ability to self-regulate is associated with higher internalising symptoms, yet some results are inconsistent. Moreover, there exist some research gaps: Firstly, previous studies have only examined single self-regulation facets. Secondly, studies on childhood are significantly more common than studies on adolescence and emerging adulthood. Thirdly, there is a lack of longitudinal studies over long periods of time that make it possible to test different explanatory models of the relationship between internalising symptoms and SR facets. Given the high prevalence rates and negative consequences of internalising symptoms in childhood, adolescence and adulthood, a more precise understanding of these associations is highly relevant. The continuation of the prospective longitudinal study PIERYouth in the second funding period of the research group 5034 provides an opportunity to address this issue. A sample of N=1,657 participants, who already participated at four measurement points (T1: 6-10, T2: 7-11, T3: 9-13, T4: 16-21 years), will be re-examined at a 5th measurement point in emerging adulthood (T5: 19-24 years). A multitude of basal (e.g. executive functions, emotional reactivity) and complex (e.g. emotion regulation, planning behaviour) self-regulation facets, internalising symptoms and specific anxiety and depression symptoms as well as established risk factors of internalising symptoms (e.g. familial risk factors) are assessed using a multimethod approach. In continuation of the first funding period, the aim of this project is to investigate the associations of various basal and complex self-regulation facets with internalising symptoms over thirteen years from middle childhood to emerging adulthood. In addition, the Experience Sampling Method (subsample) will be used to analyse associations between currently applied specific emotion regulation strategies and current affects over a two-week period. The project will help to test various explanatory models for the relationships between self-regulation facets and internalising symptoms - vulnerability, scar, pathoplastic and spectrum models (Tackett, 2006). These findings could help to identify potential entry points for effective prevention and intervention strategies to promote healthy psychosocial development.
DFG Programme
Research Units
