Abstract:
This study posited that maturational growth in emotion regulation should be associated with reduction in hyperactivity during the transition into adolescence. The longitudinal design assessed emotion regulation and hyperactivity in an urban community sample of children in three waves, at ages 10.6, 11.6, and 12.6 years. A parallel growth curve model tested whether the initial level and growth in emotion regulation were associated with decreases in hyperactivity. The analysis statistically controlled for gender, parent education, and externalizing behaviors. Results indicated that increases in emotion regulation across the 3-year study were associated with substantial decreases in hyperactivity. Initial level of hyperactivity was associated with growth in emotion regulation. Thus there was some evidence of a reciprocal effect. Covariates had some significant associations on initial levels. This is the first study to find a strong dynamic linkage between emotion regulation and hyperactivity during the transition to adolescence. Future research should focus on the nature of reciprocal effects between emotion regulation and hyperactivity. Implications of the study are also discussed.
