Emotion knowledge in economically disadvantaged children: self-regulatory antecedents and relations to social difficulties and withdrawal

Dev Psychopathol. 2001 Winter;13(1):53-67. doi: 10.1017/s0954579401001043.

Abstract

We examined the relations of verbal ability and self-regulation in preschool to emotion knowledge in first grade, and concurrent relations between emotion knowledge and indexes of social functioning in 143 children from low-income families. After controlling for children's verbal ability in preschool, teacher reports of attentional control and caregiver reports of behavioral control in preschool predicted children's emotion expression knowledge and emotion situation knowledge 2 years later. After controlling for verbal ability and attentional and behavioral control, children's emotion knowledge predicted concurrent teacher-reported social problems and social withdrawal. Results suggest that low levels of emotion knowledge co-occur with many important aspects of children's early social adaptation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Affect*
  • Attention
  • Child
  • Child Behavior Disorders / psychology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cognition*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Language Tests
  • Male
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Social Adjustment
  • Social Alienation / psychology*
  • Social Behavior Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Social Control, Informal*
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Speech
  • Verbal Behavior