Emotional Competence Mediates the Relationship between Communication Problems and Reactive Externalizing Problems in Children with and without Developmental Language Disorder: A Longitudinal Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 17, pp. 6008

Abstract

Language problems are a risk factor for externalizing problems, but the developmental path remains unclear. Emotional competence may mediate the relationship, especially when externalizing problems are reactive in nature, such as in Oppositional Deviant Disorder (ODD) and reactive aggression. We examined the development of reactive and proactive externalizing problems in children with (n = 98) and without (n = 156) Developmental Language Disorder (DLD; age: 8–16 years) over 18 months. Relationships with communicative risk factors (structural, pragmatic and emotion communication) and the mediating role of emotional competence (emotion recognition and anger dysregulation) were examined. Multi-level analyses showed that increasing emotion recognition and decreasing anger dysregulation were longitudinally related to decreasing ODD symptoms in both groups, whereas anger dysregulation was related to more reactive aggression in children with DLD alone. Pragmatic and emotion communication problems were related to more reactive externalizing problems, but these relationships were mediated by emotional competence, suggesting that problems in emotional competence explain the communication problems of children with DLD. Therefore, in addition to interventions for communication skills, there is a need to address the emotional competence of children with DLD, as this decreases the risk for reactive externalizing problems.

Authors 4

1. Neeltje P. van den Bedem corresponding Aachen Developmental Psychology

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Developmental Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333AK Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Julie Elizabeth Dockrell

   University College London

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology and Human Development, University College London, 25 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AA, UK

3. Petra M. van Alphen

   Royal Dutch Kentalis

   Affiliation as printed

   Royal Dutch Kentalis, Theerestraat 42, 5271 GD Sint-Michielsgestel, The Netherlands

4. Carolien J. Rieffe Aachen Developmental Psychology

   Leiden University · University College London

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology and Human Development, University College London, 25 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AA, UK

   Developmental Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333AK Leiden, The Netherlands