Peripheral inflammatory markers and emotional dysregulation in children and adolescents: a systematic review

Emotional dysregulation is a core transdiagnostic feature of child and adolescent psychopathology and is commonly operationalized through the Dysregulation Profile derived from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Increasing evidence suggests that immune system alterations and low-grade peripheral inflammation may contribute to emotional and behavioral dysregulation during neurodevelopment. Peripheral inflammatory markers, such as circulating cytokines and acute-phase proteins, represent accessible indicators of neuroimmune activation and have been investigated across a range of pediatric neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions. However, existing findings are heterogeneous and fragmented, and no systematic review has specifically synthesized evidence focusing on CBCL-derived emotional dysregulation indices in relation to peripheral inflammatory markers in pediatric populations.