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The measurement of emotion regulation: A confirmatory analysis

xvi, 133 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The increasing incidence of depression worldwide has led the World Health Organization to predict that depression will be the second leading global burden of disease by 2020. Since depression is often characterized by suboptimal emotion regulation, one of the potential pathways for understanding the transmission of depression risk is through the examination of early emotion regulation development, specifically in a known at-risk group: offspring of depressed parents. A substantial body of literature underscores the myriad ways in which offspring of ever-depressed parents differ from offspring of never-depressed parents, particularly in their development of emotion regulation, and level of risk for affective disorders. Emotion regulation was defined, along with its putative component dimensions, within the context of several well developed temperament models.

This study examined emotion regulation in toddlers through data from the Infant Development Study, a longitudinal study of infant development which included parents from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project and their offspring. A measurement model of emotion regulation based upon mother reports of toddler behavior was developed and tested as a first step in exploring this putative risk pathway. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test three measurement models for absolute and comparative fit. A three factor model with dimensions of Negative Affectivity, Surgency, and Effortful Control, was the best fitted model of those tested. Following this aspect of the study, structural models with outcomes of problem behavior were also tested in order to examine the concurrent and predictive validity of the measure. The best fitting model was found to be significantly associated with concurrent toddler problem behavior and predictive of later toddler problem behavior, including internalizing, externalizing, and aggressive behaviors. Recommendations are presented for future study of emotion regulation as a risk transmission pathway. / Committee in charge: Kenneth Merrell, Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences;
Cynthia Anderson, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences
Joe Stevens, Member, Educational Leadership;
John Seeley, Member, Not from U of 0;
Jean Stockard, Outside Member, Planning Public Policy & Mgmt

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:uoregon.edu/oai:scholarsbank.uoregon.edu:1794/10220
Date06 1900
CreatorsEttel, Deborah Jean, 1958-
PublisherUniversity of Oregon
Source SetsUniversity of Oregon
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
RelationUniversity of Oregon theses, Dept. of Special Education and Clinical Sciences, Ph. D., 2009;

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