How well a child manages their emotions at age seven could offer important clues about their mental health as a teenager. A new study from the University of Edinburgh found that difficulties with childhood emotion regulation and teen mental health are closely linked.
Researchers analyzed the emotional development of nearly 19,000 children in the UK Millennium Cohort Study. They found that children who had frequent mood swings, got easily frustrated, or became overly excited at a young age were more likely to show signs of anxiety and depression later on.
These early signs of emotion dysregulation predicted mental health challenges not just in early adolescence, but all the way through age 17.
Understanding the Long-Term Link
The study looked at emotional development at age seven and tracked mental health symptoms at ages 11, 14, and 17. Even after controlling for early mental health problems, the connection between childhood emotion struggles and later anxiety or depression held strong.
Internalizing problems like sadness, worry, and fear typically emerge during adolescence. In fact, about one-third of teenagers report symptoms of depression, while one in five experiences anxiety. This study suggests that some of these issues may start much earlier than we realize.
The Role of Prevention and Early Intervention
What makes these findings especially important is their potential to guide early mental health support. Instead of waiting for teens to show signs of distress, mental health professionals and caregivers could focus on building emotion regulation skills during early childhood.
Building Emotion Skills to Improve Teen Mental Health
Teaching kids how to recognize, express, and manage their feelings—through techniques like biofeedback, neurofeedback, and mindfulness—may reduce the chances of mental health issues later. These techniques fall under the broader umbrella of emerging therapies, which are being increasingly used in mental health clinics and schools to build resilience and prevent disorders before they take hold.
Dr. Aja Murray, who led the research, emphasized the importance of these early skills: “Our findings suggest that supporting children to learn emotion regulation early could help reduce later mental health issues.”
A Shift from Treatment to Prevention
This research represents a hopeful shift in how we think about mental health care. Rather than focusing solely on treating symptoms in adolescence, it opens the door to early, preventive strategies that can reshape a child’s future.
As Dr. Angela Hind from the Medical Research Foundation put it, “By identifying factors in young children that may increase vulnerability to mental health problems in their teenage years, this research brings us closer to shifting from treatment to prevention.”
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Citations
Murray, A., Booth, C., McKenzie, K., & McIntosh, H. (2024). Is emotion dysregulation in childhood a precursor to internalising problems in adolescence? Journal of Affective Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.03.082
Emotional outbursts in children linked to depression in teen years (Medical Xpress), June 19, 2025 pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+12medicalxpress.com+12en.wikipedia.org+12
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