The Relations of Emotionality and Regulation to Preschoolers' Social Skills and Sociometric Status

TLDR

Emotion regulation and coping strategies are central to interpersonal functioning. The study examined how preschoolers’ emotional intensity, negative affect, coping, and attentional regulation relate to their social skills and peer status. In boys, constructive coping and attentional control predict higher social skills and peer status, while negative affect, acting‑out coping, and high emotional intensity predict lower outcomes; mothers report that boys who seek social support and show low intensity have better social functioning, and avoidant coping is associated with higher social skills in girls.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations of emotionality (intensity and negative emotion) and regulation (coping and attentional regulation) to preschoolers' social skills (as rated by adults) and sociometric status. Teachers' ratings of children's constructive coping and attentional control were positively related to boys' social skills and peer status, whereas negative affect was negatively related. Acting out (vs. avoidant) coping and emotional intensity were negatively related to girls' and boys' social skills and boys' peer status. In addition, mothers' reports of boys' coping by seeking social support and low emotional intensity were associated with boys' positive social functioning, whereas avoidant coping was positively related to girls' rated social skills. The results are discussed in relation to research on emotion regulation and coping with emotion in interpersonal contexts.