ABSTRACT
Given the importance of emotion regulation in the development of social relationships and psychopathology, this chapter focuses on emotion regulation dynamics within parent–child relationships during childhood and adolescence. The emotion regulation construct is first defined emphasizing its dynamic and dyadic nature. Next, the different measures and methods of exploring emotion regulation dynamics in the context of the parent–child relationship is reviewed, including direct behavioral observation, ecological momentary assessment, and physiological approaches. Using theoretical and empirical evidence from the literature, we also describe how emotion regulation dynamics developed via parent–child interactions from infancy through adolescence. In the next section, we propose a parent–child emotion regulation dynamics model that elucidates how emotion regulation develops in the context of moment-to-moment interactions between the parent and child. This model includes both physiological and behavior underlying processes. We next discuss links between emotion regulation dynamics and child and adolescent adjustment. In addition, we review literature focused on links between emotional dynamics and ecological and individual characteristics. Finally, the chapter concludes with discussion of future directions for this line of research and applications for parents and practitioners.
