Affective Dysregulation in Childhood

Affective regulation, more commonly defined as emotional regulation in research archives, is an essential component of self-regulatory and inhibitory control and involves the ability to manage one’s emotions in accordance with social norms and demands. It remains a key aspect of healthy development and well-being influencing a multitude of important life outcomes including mental health, interpersonal relationships, school functioning, cognitive processing, and overall adaptation. Deficits in emotional regulation are evidenced in a multitude of neurodevelopmental disorders as well as childhood mood and anxiety disorders; trauma and stressor related disorders; bipolar and related disorders; and disruptive, impulse control, and conduct disorders and can significantly impact family functioning and the development of one’s sense of self. Challenges with emotional regulation in childhood can additionally influence adult outcomes including the emergence of personality disorders, substance use and dependence, somatic symptomatology, work performance, and parenting and can impact eating and sleeping patterns. Understanding underlying common neural circuitry involved in affective dysregulation across varying disorders may prove to be immensely more valuable than conceptualizing affective dysregulation in terms of categorical descriptions. Lastly, ensuring that comprehensive intervention approaches to ameliorating atypical affective dysregulation in childhood are pursued is essential in influencing positive life outcomes.