Testing Affect Regulation Capacity: An Application of the Child Behavior Checklist Syndrome Scales As a Proxy Measure

Background and purpose: Exposure to family violence is associated with a multitude of physical and psychological negative outcomes, many of which are associated with impaired development of self-regulation capacity. Developmental research has shown that adolescents are uniquely vulnerable to impairment of cognitive, affective, and behavioral self-regulation mechanisms that do not mature until early adulthood. Patterns of dysregulation established in adolescence often persist into adulthood. Thus adolescence presents a crucial window of opportunity to intervene and support the development of healthy self-regulation capacities, particularly for children who have been exposed to high stress environments including those exposed to family violence. The current study utilized a 32-item proxy measure of affect regulation capacity validated in several previous studies that was adapted from the Child Behavior Checklist using several of the Syndrome Subscales (Anxious/Depressed; Attention Problems; Aggressive Behavior).  It was hypothesized that the proxy affect regulation measure would identify adolescents at risk of persistent impaired affect regulation and physical couple violence perpetration and victimization in young adulthood.

Methods:  The study utilized three panels of prospective data from a cohort of 15 year olds (N=338) from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods longitudinal study. The data were comprised of a stratified probability sample of seven ethnic/racial groups and three categories of socio-economic status. Structural equation modeling was employed to test an autoregressive relationship of affect regulation capacity over three developmental stages to predict young adult couple violence. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the affect regulation latent variables in each wave and in a combined model. A version of the Conflict Tactics Scale was used to measure physical family and couple violence.

Results: The affect dysregulation proxy variable tested positively for measurement invariance across all three waves and was significant autoregressively. The initial CFA model was tested with four latent variables, one of which was dropped (Withdrawn/Depressed). The global and focused fit indices for the final three-factor model indicated a reasonable fit: (c²(15, 331) = 21.107, p < 0.1334, CFI = 0.996, RMSEA = 0.035, SRMR = 0.024).  Factor loadings ranged from 0.63 – 0.91. Contemporaneously in Wave 3, a one unit increase in affect dysregulation predicted an increase of 8.52 (p<.01) acts of minor and 5.05 (p<.01) acts of severe physical couple violence perpetration.

Conclusions and implications: The results of the study suggest that the affect regulation proxy variable may identify patterns of impaired regulation in adolescence that are likely to persist over time and may also be associated with young adult physical couple violence. Because the proxy measure is comprised of Syndrome Subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist Syndrome, it may be an accessible tool for early identification of adolescent affect regulation capacity in numerous practice settings.  Further, the measure can be used in secondary data analysis of studies that did not include specific affect regulation measures but utilized the Child Behavior Checklist. Further research on affect and other self-regulation components is suggested to inform strategies to prevent developmental impairment and, potentially, young adult physical couple violence.