Developmental stability and change in emotion regulation strategies and strategy repertoires across adolescence

The ability to manage emotions using emotion regulation (ER) strategies is a core competency developed across childhood and into adolescence. Youth are expected to develop more diverse ER repertoires-the range of strategies that adolescents use-as they approach adulthood. However, to date, an examination of longitudinal change and stability in normative ER strategy use or repertoires across early to late adolescence has yet to be conducted. The present study reports on two longitudinal samples with measures of six ER strategies. Reports in the Younger Sample (N = 201, aged 11-12 at Wave 1) were repeated once a year for 5 years, and reports from the Older Sample (N = 187, aged 13-15 at Wave 1) were repeated twice a year for 3 years. Growth curve analyses revealed that Distraction, Rumination, and Suppression increased in the Younger Sample, whereas Reappraisal, Relaxation, and Engagement increased in the Older Sample. Latent Markov models showed four ER repertoires in both samples (low/average, suppression propensity, engagement propensity, and high diversity) that showed moderate to high stability across waves. Across adolescence, there were increasing transitions into the high diversity profile, with some nuances by sample. Results are discussed in terms of normative emotional development and implications for understanding adolescent polyregulation and ER flexibility.