Children's ability to focus during upsetting situations reveals more about their mental health than their ability to concentrate when calm, according to psychologists at Florida International University. In a study published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, researchers surveyed 241 children ages 6 to 17 to validate a self-report survey for evaluating youth attention in emotional contexts.
The survey measured two areas: emotional focusing, the ability to maintain concentration on a task when distracted by an upsetting situation, and emotional shifting, the ability to redirect attention away from an emotional trigger. The findings showed that children unable to focus when upset or who get stuck on negative emotions are more likely to have anxiety or depression. Children who struggle with focus on regular, nonemotional tasks such as schoolwork are also more likely to experience anxiety and depression.
Older youth demonstrated more difficulty with emotional focus than younger children, contradicting typical expectations that self-regulation improves with age. The researchers noted that the teenage years involve heightened emotions and significant hormonal changes, which can make concentration more difficult when emotions are already elevated.
One concern highlighted in the research is students who excel academically but struggle internally with anxiety that goes unnoticed by teachers. To prevent students from going undetected, the researchers advocate for schools to implement check-in systems, such as anonymous worry boxes, and to provide teachers with greater access to psychologists and social workers. Integrating coping skills into school curricula and home routines can help buffer against anxiety and depression development, the researchers noted.
The study was the first to validate the Emotional Attentional Control Scale for younger demographics. The researchers said that tracking emotional focus struggles over time will be key to understanding how they influence the trajectory of youth anxiety and depression.