Research on How Emotional Awareness Impacts Youth Mental Health

A study published in Clinical Psychological Science investigated how well children and teens recognize and label their emotions and how this skill affects their mental health.

It found that low emotional awareness was associated with higher levels of general psychopathology. In other words, those who struggle to understand and name their feelings may be more likely to experience various mental health challenges. This was especially true for girls as they got older, but not for boys.

In a larger study, the researchers confirmed these results and found that low emotional awareness may help explain why mental health issues often increase during adolescence and among kids who have gone through trauma, such as violence.

This information is useful because it shows a way to protect young people from mental health struggles as they grow up.

Understanding the Research

In Study 1, the researchers studied 120 participants between the ages of 7 and 19. The kids answered questions about how well they understand their emotions and whether they had symptoms of depression, anxiety, or behavior problems.

Meanwhile, in Study 2, the researchers wanted to learn how seeing or experiencing violence affects kids’ feelings and mental health. They studied 259 kids, ages 8 to 16, in Seattle. Some kids had experienced violence like abuse or seeing someone hurt their parent. Others had not. These children and their caregivers answered questions and completed interviews. They filled out forms about emotions, behaviors, and stress levels.

These were the findings:

• Low emotional awareness was linked to age only in girls. This means that as girls get older, they may become less aware of their emotions, which may raise their risk for mental health problems.
• Childhood exposure to violence was linked to low emotional awareness. This difficulty then helped explain why mental health problems got worse over time.
• The reason children who experience violence struggle to understand and name their emotions is because the stress from these experiences can disrupt how their brains and bodies work. (For instance, their bodies might react in ways that don’t match what they feel emotionally.)
• Not just violence but a range of stressful life events (such as peer victimization or bullying) can reduce emotional awareness during adolescence.

Practical Strategies for Parents and Caregivers

Since low emotional awareness raises the chances of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and behavior difficulties in children, we must support them in learning to recognize and express their emotions.

What strategies can we use to help them build emotional skills?

Use emotion words often in your daily conversations

Talk openly about feelings at home. Label emotions throughout the day — yours and your child’s. For example, you can say, “You look frustrated. Do you want to talk about it?” or “I feel proud of how you handled that.”

Doing this helps them learn to name and understand emotions instead of ignoring them. Check out our wall art with feeling words to use at home or in therapy sessions.

Let them see you manage your feelings well

It’s important to help your child learn that emotions are manageable, not scary. One of the most powerful ways to teach this is by modeling it yourself. Whenever your child sees you calmly talk through a frustration or take deep breaths, they learn that there are healthy ways to handle big emotions.

Seek professional support

If your child has been through trauma, such as abuse, or even bullying, it may be hard for them to make sense of their emotions. A licensed therapist can help them understand what they’re feeling and why, and show them how to cope in healthy ways. Think of therapy as a tool for your child’s growth and healing.

The researchers suggest that future studies should explore how race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status may interact with violence exposure to influence emotional awareness.

Help your child put words to their feelings. Download our Feelings Worksheets and Coping Skills Worksheets to start building emotional skills at home or in your practice.