Sadness in Youth: Socialization, Regulation, and Adjustment

Abstract

Sadness is considered to be one of the basic human emotions and is elicited in response to experiences of loss (Ekman, Psychol Rev 99(3):550-553, 1992). The action tendencies associated with sadness are to withdraw but also to signal to others that support is needed (Campos et al., Dev Psychol 25(3):394-402, 1989). The role of social and cultural contexts is key in shaping children's emerging sadness management skills. As such, parents are considered the earliest socializers of children's sadness regulation, and they influence the ways in which children learn how, where, and to whom they express their sadness (Saarni, The development of emotional competence. Guilford Press, New York, 1999). A growing body of research indicates that peers are also influential in imparting norms concerning sadness expression. One proposed mediator of the relation between sadness socialization and psychosocial adjustment is children's sadness regulation, as socialization processes facilitate or impede children's learning of effective emotion regulation strategies. Accordingly, this chapter reviews the extant research examining parent and peer socialization of sadness and its relations to social and psychological functioning, with attention also paid to the development of sadness regulation in children and adolescents. We conclude by offering suggestions for future research directions to address gaps in the literature. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)