Relationship between early language competence and cognitive emotion regulation in adolescence

Background Effective use of cognitive reappraisal strategies for emotion regulation improves throughout adolescence and promotes good mental health. Language skills may partially drive improvements in reappraisal efficacy, meaning children with neurodevelopmental conditions that affect language may not learn to regulate emotions as effectively as their peers. Method Data are from the Surrey Communication and Language in Education Study (SCALES); a large, population derived cohort of children with diverse language and cognitive skills. We tested whether language skills at school entry predicted success in regulating negative emotions at age 10-11 using a temporal distancing strategy, in a task that utilised hypothetical distressing scenarios. We additionally compared children that met the criteria for Language Disorder (LD) in Year 1 to children with typical language, on their temporal distancing performance. Results Across the whole sample (N = 344), language skills at school entry predicted emotion regulation success in Year 6 (β = .23), over and above the concurrent association between language and regulation success. A quarter of children with LD were unable to complete the temporal distancing task. These children had more severe language difficulties, lower non-verbal IQ and more comorbid conditions. There was no evidence that children with LD that could engage in the task were less successful in using the temporal distancing strategy to reduce negative emotions compared to peers with typical language. Discussion There is a longitudinal relationship between language skills at school entry and the ability to use reappraisal for emotion regulation in early adolescence. This suggests that language may help children learn how to effectively regulate their emotions. Many children with LD were unable to participate in the task. This has implications for clinicians addressing mental health needs for children with neurodevelopmental conditions that affect language, as conversations about emotions and emotion regulation are an integral part of therapy.