嬰幼兒情緒調節相關氣質對照顧者反應的影響

The Influence of Young Children's Emotion Regulation Related Temperament on Caregivers' Reaction

本研究旨在了解嬰幼兒氣質對保母使用四種不同情緒引導策略頻率的影響，探討伶俐、自動控制、負向情緒等氣質向度對108位保母在照顧一歲半以下嬰兒和一歲半至三歲之間幼兒時使用安撫、注意力轉移、工具式行為和認知調整等策略之預測效果。 研究結果顯示，保母對嬰幼兒都很少使用非支持性引導策略（即工具式行為），而較常使用認知調整、安撫和注意力轉移等支持性策略。三種氣質傾向對保母使用注意力轉移和工具式行為等策略不具顯著的影響；然而當嬰兒的伶俐傾向較高，保母會使用較多的安撫策略；幼兒的主動控制傾向較高，則保母會使用較多的安撫策略；而較多的主動控制和較少的負向情緒傾向也對保母使用認知調節策略協助幼兒具有顯著預測力。 本研究結果顯示嬰幼兒部分氣質對保母使用安撫和認知調節策略等支持性反應頻率的影響。為照顧所有嬰幼兒的情緒基本需求，教保專業人員宜對具氣質差異的孩子們秉持公平的態度、「一視同仁」地多使用支持性策略，因此我們建議相關培訓及研習課程宜持續加強教保人員對嬰幼兒情緒發展的了解，提升對天生氣質較特殊孩子的包容，以理性的愛引導所有孩子，並與父母分享相關專業知能。

This study examined the influence of young children's temperament on caregivers' use of emotion regulation strategies in helping children in frustrating situations. Frequency of 4 types of emotion regulation strategies (i.e., comforting behaviors, instrumental behaviors, distraction behaviors, and cognitive reappraisals）used by 108 caregivers were assessed in two stages—when the child was before and after 18-month-old. The associations among young children's 3 emotion-regulation related temperament characteristics (i.e., surgency, negative affect, and effortful control) and caregiver's 4 types of strategies were evaluated. Results showed that instrumental behavior was the least likely used strategy; the more likely used strategies were cognitive reappraisals, comforting behaviors, and distraction behaviors. For all children, caregivers tended to use instrumental and distraction strategies equally with children of different temperament characteristics. However, caregivers used more comforting strategies for children with higher surgency scores when they were before 18-month-old. Also, more comforting behaviors were used in taking care of the older children with more effortful control. For children older than 18 months, more cognitive reappraisals were used in interacting with those with higher tendency of effortful control and less negative affect. The results supported that some of the young children's temperament influenced caregivers' behaviors. It is suggested that the related training classes should provide caregivers a better understanding in young children's emotional development, teach them more emotion regulation strategies, point out the need of increasing tolerance when interacting with children of unusual temperament and share all the knowledge with the parents.