Emotion regulation training for children, young people and carers

Emotions, emotion regulation, feelings, children, adolescents, parents, caregivers, stress

Until 31.12.2022

Background:

Many children and adolescents experience stress in their everyday lives, which can cause their emotions to become unbalanced. Adolescence in particular is associated with many challenges and is usually characterised by strong feelings, which highlights the need for suitable strategies to regulate emotions. Current stressors such as the coronavirus pandemic, but also everyday factors such as conflicts with friends or in the family, school requirements, balancing family and work or puberty can trigger stress. Learning how to deal appropriately with your own emotions and everyday stressors can reduce problems with other people as well as your own inner conflicts and strengthen your psychosocial health.

Project description:

The training is based on an emotion regulation programme developed in Sweden by Dr Maria Zetterqvist and Kristina Holmqvist Larsson. This programme has already been evaluated there in a clinical setting, with the implementation taking place in an inpatient setting with adolescents and their caregivers. The results showed an improvement in skills in the area of emotion regulation. This existing programme was used to develop a primary prevention training programme for the school setting. As part of a pilot study, the feasibility of the implementation is mainly being tested, but the effectiveness of the training in terms of improving emotion regulation skills is also being evaluated in a pre-post comparison. Due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, the programme, which was originally planned purely in face-to-face format, is also being offered in an online format.

The aim of the training is to impart skills to learn how to deal better with emotions and thus reduce everyday stress. The programme lasts eight sessions and is aimed at children and young people aged eleven to 17 and their carers. In addition to detailed information on the topic of emotions and feelings, the training also includes the topics of validation, acceptance and routines to reduce vulnerability. Each session is accompanied by practical exercises that should also be implemented in everyday life.

Questionnaires are used to evaluate the extent to which the skills learnt can be used helpfully in everyday life and a better way of dealing with emotions can be achieved. This will examine whether the participants in the group programme are subsequently better able to perceive their own emotions and express them appropriately. The aim is also to determine whether the programme has brought about a positive change in the family climate. The questionnaire survey is carried out by means of a pre-survey before the skills training, a post-survey directly after the training and a follow-up survey three months after participation.

Baden-Württemberg Foundation