The role of parent and peer emotion socialization and emotion regulation in the development of internalizing problems in adolescents

Adolescence is a dynamic period for the development of emotion regulation skills. Difficulties in emotion regulation are an important predictor of risk for internalizing problems. Parents and peers play an important role in both emotion regulation (ER) skills and the development of internalizing problems, however, few studies have examined their influence concurrently using longitudinal data. This study investigated the impact of parent and peer emotion socialization and adolescent ER on adolescent (N = 213; aged 13 to 14 years old) internalizing problems 11 months later, as reported by adolescents. Results indicated peer but not parent emotion socialization predicted adolescent internalizing problems. Moreover, adolescent difficulties in ER at baseline moderated the impact of peer emotion socialization on adolescent internalizing problems. The findings highlight peer emotion dismissing responses impact internalizing problems, especially if adolescents also report difficulties in ER, underscoring the importance of prevention during earlier developmental periods.