The regulation of fear: the contribution of inhibition and emotion socialisation

In this study, we investigated the contribution of inhibition and maternal socialisation of children's fear to observed emotion regulation during a fear induction. Fifty-three parent–child dyads (Mage = 3.76 years) participated. Parents completed a series of questionnaires, and parent–child dyads were observed during a fear induction. Children's behaviour was coded for latency to approach the fear stimulus, expressions of fear, and regulation of emotion during the fear episode. Inhibition positively predicted orientation to mother and negatively predicted task orientation during the fear episode. In addition, the interaction between inhibition and supportive reactions to fear predicted children's engagement in distraction during the fear episode; the relation between inhibition and distraction was significant when mothers reported high levels of support to children's fear. The results indicated that mothers’ supportive reactions to children's fear bolster their emotion regulatory skills.