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Emotion regulation and tic disorders in children

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Abstract

Tic disorders (TD) are developmental neuropsychiatric conditions often accompanied by comorbid conditions, and psychosocial hardships for child and family. The etiology of tics is unknown, and is complex and multifactorial. Stress is known to aggravate tic expression as well as associated comorbidities. Consequently, this study focused on possible connections between stress, emotion regulation, tic expression, and related psychopathology. Sixty consecutive admissions were assessed for perceived stress, emotional dysregulation, severity of obsessions and compulsions, anxiety, depression, attention deficit disorder, and tic expression at a TD clinic, in a university affiliated pediatric hospital. The results indicated that stress and emotion dysregulation were significantly related to both tic expression and severity of comorbidities. We discuss the role of emotion regulation dimensions regarding TD and related psychopathology as well as the mediating role of emotion regulation, and how they may contribute to the development of improved therapies for children with TD.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. E. Leibenluft for giving us permission to use the unpublished semi-structured interview for Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva, Israel

    D. Ruhrman, A. Apter, N. Benaroya-Milshtein & T. Steinberg

  2. Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel

    D. Ruhrman, M. Mikulincer & A. Apter

  3. Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    D. Ruhrman, A. Apter, N. Benaroya-Milshtein & T. Steinberg

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  1. D. Ruhrman
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  2. M. Mikulincer
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  4. N. Benaroya-Milshtein
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Correspondence to D. Ruhrman.

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This study has been approved by the Internal Review Board of our institution and was performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Ruhrman, D., Mikulincer, M., Apter, A. et al. Emotion regulation and tic disorders in children. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32, 893–902 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01912-5

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