Measuring Child and Adolescent Emotional Lability: How Do Questionnaire-based Ratings Relate to Experienced and Observed Emotion in Everyday Life and Experimental Settings?

Overview

Journal Int J Methods Psychiatr Res

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2018 May 31

PMID 29845690

Citations 3

Authors

Dagmar Van Liefferinge

Edmund Sonuga-Barke

Marina Danckaerts

Kirill Fayn

Nady Van Broeck

Saskia Van der Oord

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: Emotional lability (EL) is an important trans-diagnostic concept that is associated with significant functional impairment in childhood and adolescence. EL is typically measured with questionnaires, although little is known about the ecological validity of these ratings. In this paper, we undertook 2 studies addressing this issue by examining the relationship between rating-based measures of EL and directly measured emotional expressions and experiences. Furthermore, the associations between directly measured emotional expressions and experiences and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology were also examined, given the clear association of EL with ADHD in former research.

Methods: In Study 1, we examined the relationship between parental report of children's EL and ADHD, and children's emotional expressions in an experimental context (N = 67). In Study 2, we examined the relationship between parental ratings and real-time measures of emotional experiences in daily life in adolescents (N = 65).

Results: EL ratings were associated with different elements of real-time emotional experiences and expressions. Elements of emotional expressions but not emotional experiences were also associated with ADHD symptom reports.

Conclusions: These studies provide evidence for the ecological validity of EL ratings. Furthermore, they add evidence for the associations between EL and ADHD.

Citing Articles

Behavioral and Emotional Responding to Punishment in ADHD: Is Increased Emotionality Related to Altered Behavioral Responding?.

Hulsbosch A, Alsop B, Danckaerts M, Van Liefferinge D, Tripp G, Van der Oord S Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol. 2024; 52(12):1817-1829.

PMID: 39215789 PMC: 11624220. DOI: 10.1007/s10802-024-01238-1.

Alteration of Emotion Knowledge and Its Relationship with Emotion Regulation and Psychopathological Behavior in Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Belmonte-Darraz S, Montoro C, Andrade N, Montoya P, Riquelme I J Autism Dev Disord. 2020; 51(4):1238-1248.

PMID: 32648147 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04605-1.

Measuring child and adolescent emotional lability: How do questionnaire-based ratings relate to experienced and observed emotion in everyday life and experimental settings?.

Van Liefferinge D, Sonuga-Barke E, Danckaerts M, Fayn K, Van Broeck N, Van der Oord S Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2018; 27(3):e1720.

PMID: 29845690 PMC: 6877123. DOI: 10.1002/mpr.1720.

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