biostudies-literatureHollender AENIMH NIH HHSNational Institute of Mental Health81-92https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10656362biostudies-literatureUnknown24(1)Deficits in emotion processing (e.g., emotion labeling and regulation) are widely implicated in depression risk. While prior literature documents these deficits in concurrence with depression, more research is needed to investigate emotion processing pathways of depression risk across development. The purpose of this study was to investigate if emotion processes (i.e., emotion labeling and emotion regulation/dysregulation) in early and middle childhood predict adolescent depressive symptom severity in a prospective sample. Data were analyzed from a longitudinal study of diverse preschoolers oversampled for depressive symptoms using measures of preschool emotion labeling of faces (i.e., Facial Affect Comprehension Evaluation), middle childhood emotion regulation and dysregulation (i.e., emoEmotion (Washington, D.C.)Childhood emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between preschool emotion labeling and adolescent depressive symptoms.PMC10656362K23MH115074R01 MH090786R01MH06769K23 MH131849K23 MH115074R01 MH064769Vogel ACBarch DMHollender AEElsayed NMGilbert KETillman RLuby JLfalseChildhood emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between preschool emotion labeling and adolescent depressive symptoms.Deficits in emotion processing (e.g., emotion labeling and regulation) are widely implicated in depression risk. While prior literature documents these deficits in concurrence with depression, more research is needed to investigate emotion processing pathways of depression risk across development. The purpose of this study was to investigate if emotion processes (i.e., emotion labeling and emotion regulation/dysregulation) in early and middle childhood predict adolescent depressive symptom severity in a prospective sample. Data were analyzed from a longitudinal study of diverse preschoolers oversampled for depressive symptoms using measures of preschool emotion labeling of faces (i.e., Facial Affect Comprehension Evaluation), middle childhood emotion regulation and dysregulation (i.e., emo2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Feb2025-04-03T23:23:35.287Z2025-04-03T23:23:35.287ZS-EPMC106563623719993510.1037/emo0001248