The relationship of emotion regulation and negative lability with socioemotional adjustment in institutionalized and non-institutionalized children.

With this study, we aimed to investigate the contribution of emotion regulation and negative lability to socioemotional adjustment in institutionalized and non-institutionalized children. Ninety-two children aged 6 to 10 years (45 placed in residential care after abuse and 47 non-abused, living with their biological families) participated in this study. Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were completed by the main caregivers of the institutions and by the elementary teacher, respectively, for the institutionalized and non-institutionalized groups. No differences were observed between institutionalized and non-institutionalized children in emotion regulation, negative lability, and socioemotional adjustment outcomes. Also, no sex and age effects were observed for both groups. Considering the institutionalized children, the length of institutionalization had a significant effect on negative lability, while no effects of the type of maltreatment on emotion regulation and negative lability were observed. Additionally, in institutionalized children, negative lability was negatively associated with peer relationship problems in socioemotional adjustment, whereas in the non-institutionalized children, no significant associations were verified between emotion regulation and negative lability with socioemotional adjustment outcomes. For institutionalized children, emotional lability seems to have a differential impact on specific maladaptive socioemotional outcomes, which emphasizes the importance of analysing these specific risk developmental pathways.