Differential Effects of Multisystemic Factors on the Developmental Trajectories of Emotion Regulation

The current study investigated the development of emotion regulation (i.e., managing one’s emotions in order to meet a goal; Gross et al., 2019) within a multisystemic context across the sensitive periods of adolescence and emerging adulthood. It adds to current literature by including the entire sensitive period (i.e., age 12-29 years), incorporating the influence of multisystemic factors on different emotion regulation developmental pathways, and extending investigations of posttraumatic adjustment within an integrated framework. Participants were a subsample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health; N = 13414), a longitudinal nationally representative database that follows youth from adolescence into adulthood. Growth mixture modelling was applied to elicit unique trajectories of emotion regulation development (i.e., depressive symptoms) each with unique relationships to multisystemic covariates (i.e., biological sex, pubertal timing, self-esteem, adverse childhood experiences [ACEs], parent closeness, friendship support, parental socioeconomic status, neighbourhood safety, changes in household parental figures). Four non-linear trajectories were found: low (normative), low-increasing, increasing-decreasing, and high-decreasing. The multisystemic factors had differential effects on each pathway that, with the exception of ACEs, tend to wane in influence as youth age. Self-esteem, perceived parental closeness, and perceived neighbourhood safety most tended to be protective, whereas seeking support from a friend, experiencing (an) ACE(s), and changes to household parental figures tended to confer vulnerability. Emotion regulation development and posttraumatic adjustment do vary, with lasting impacts. A multisystemic, integrated framework showed what factors confer risk or protection within these trajectories, and helps explain previously mixed findings. Implications for identifying at-risk youth, preventative measures, and intervention are also discussed.