The Role of Caregiver Emotion Regulation in Youth Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

• Stephanie Gyuri Kim, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Alexandra M. Rodman, Northeastern University
• Maya L. Rosen, Smith CollegeFollow
• Steven W. Kasparek, Harvard University
• Makeda Mayes, University of Washington
• Liliana J. Lengua, University of Washington
• Andrew N. Meltzoff, University of Washington
• Katie A. McLaughlin, Harvard University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-4-2025

Publication Title

Development and Psychopathology

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented youth and families with a broad spectrum of unique stressors. Given that adolescents are at increased risk for mental health and emotional difficulties, it is critical to explore family processes that confer resilience for youth in the face of stress. The current study investigated caregiver emotion regulation (ER) as a familial factor contributing to youth ER and risk for psychopathology following stressful life events. In a longitudinal sample of 224 youth (Mage = 12.65 years) and their caregivers, we examined whether caregiver and youth engagement in ER strategies early in the pandemic mediated the associations of pandemic-related stress with youth internalizing and externalizing symptoms six months later. Leveraging serial mediation analysis, we demonstrated that caregiver and youth rumination, but not expressive suppression or cognitive reappraisal, mediated the prospective associations of pandemic-related stress with youth internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Greater exposure to pandemic-related stressors was associated with greater caregiver rumination, which, in turn, related to greater rumination in youth, and higher levels of youth internalizing and externalizing symptoms thereafter. Family interventions that target caregiver ER, specifically rumination, may buffer against the consequences of stress on youth engagement in maladaptive ER strategies and risk for psychopathology.

Keywords

adolescence, COVID-19, developmental psychopathology, emotion regulation, family, life events, stress

Volume

37

First Page

1257

Last Page

1271

Rights

© The Author(s), 2024.

Version

Version of Record

Comments

A correction has been issued for this article:

The role of caregiver emotion regulation in youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study – CORRIGENDUM

Recommended Citation

Gyuri Kim, Stephanie; Rodman, Alexandra M.; Rosen, Maya L.; Kasparek, Steven W.; Mayes, Makeda; Lengua, Liliana J.; Meltzoff, Andrew N.; and McLaughlin, Katie A., "The Role of Caregiver Emotion Regulation in Youth Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2025). Neuroscience: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/nsc_facpubs/166