Emotion regulation and internal behavior problems in young autistic children-preliminary study.

Research Objectives: To investigate the relationship between emotion regulation impairment and internalizing behavior problems.

Design: Cross-sectional correlation study.

Setting: The participants were recruited from hospitals, early intervention centers, rehabilitation clinics, parent support groups, and social media groups.

Participants: A convenience sample of 31 young autistic children was diagnosed by the pediatric psychiatrist at ages 4 to 6 years old. The participants were assessed Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS-2) by the researcher to reconfirm the diagnosis, and all participants scored above 30. All participants had no comorbidity of any other disease.

Interventions: Not applicable

Main Outcome Measures: We used the parent-report Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) to assess emotion regulation impairment and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess internalizing behavior problems. Both of the measurements have good reliability and validity.

Results: In this preliminary study, a cohort of 31 young autistic children successfully completed the research, with their ages ranging from 51 to 73 months. The results revealed a significant positive correlation between emotion regulation impairments and the overall extent of internalizing behavior problems. Further exploration of the specific subscales of internalizing behavior problems—namely Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn/Depressed, and Somatic Complaints—demonstrated noteworthy positive associations with emotion dysregulation. Notably, the subscales of Anxious/Depressed and Somatic Complaints displayed particularly strong connections with emotion dysregulation. Intriguingly, a substantial portion of the participants (65%) surpassed the cut-off score for internalizing behavior problems, indicative of meeting clinical criteria of impairment.

Conclusions: This study highlights the presence of internalizing behavior problems in young autistic children. The results underscore the importance of considering emotion regulation in clinical practice and parental interventions for this population. It is crucial for practitioners and parents to be attuned to the emotional well-being of young autistic children and to support their emotional regulation processes actively. By addressing and fostering effective emotion regulation strategies, we can potentially enhance the overall psychological well-being of these children.

Author(s) Disclosures: All authors listed on the abstract declare no conflicts or lack thereof.