Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

Psychology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Erin Kang

Committee Member

Jeremy Fox

Committee Member

Erica Nahin

Abstract

Adaptive functioning (AF) refers to an individual’s ability to manage daily life demands and maintain personal independence. Deficits in adaptive functioning presents with higher challenges in overall quality of life, resulting in lesser abilities for social relationships, and is often associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms. Emotion dysregulation (ED) is a key feature of several clinical disorders, can hinder self-care abilities, particularly in the presence of co-occurring internalizing conditions, and is significantly elevated in autistic youth. Given that ED may interfere with daily functioning, understanding how ED impacts AF could help identify intervention targets for neurodiverse youth. This project examines ED and AF in neurodiverse youth experiencing symptoms of internalizing disorders. Parents of twenty youth aged 11 to 17 (M=13.2, SD=1.72 ; 55% male; 70% Caucasian) reported on youth’s emotion dysregulation, adaptive behaviors, and internalizing symptoms. Results showed symptoms of several internalizing disorders were significantly negatively related to adaptive functioning. Mediation analysis assessed ED as a potential mediator between adaptive functioning and internalizing disorders. Emotional reactivity emerged as a full mediator for Separation Anxiety Disorder and a partial mediator for Social Anxiety Disorder in middle and high school age participants. Emotional Dysphoria was a full mediator for Social Anxiety Disorder in middle and high school age participants. Overall, higher severity of internalizing symptoms negatively relates to one’s AF, and poorer AF may be linked to trouble managing emotional reactions but not to overall feelings of sadness or distress. These findings suggest that interventions targeting emotional reactivity, rather than general distress, may be more effective in improving adaptive functioning in individuals with internalizing symptoms.

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