Silje Skaug Stokke

About

My background and research area:

I earned my PhD in Developmental Psychology in 2020, with a dissertation examining the impact of media use on parent-child social interactions and children's early attachment.

Currently, I am a member of the DROPOUT research group at NTNU, where my work focuses on the connections between school performance and the psychosocial conditions of children and adolescents. This research is part of a broader collaboration with Tidlig Trygg in Trondheim and the HUNT Study.

In 2022, I published Hjertevarme foreldre (Warm-hearted Parents), a book that synthesizes research and theory on sensitive parenting. It emphasizes how caregivers can act as a "secure base" and "safe haven" for children by being sensitive, available, and supportive. The book also addresses how to guide children through emotional regulation, stressing that while self-regulation develops over time, it is essential for caregivers to support children during intense emotional episodes.

Emotion Regulation in Practice:

Identify physical sensations: It's often easier to describe the sensations in your body than to label emotions. For instance, "My heart is pounding, my throat feels tight, or I feel warmth in my face."
Breathe through discomfort: Emotional reactions are often ingrained by age 8, so it's crucial to build new habits around intense emotions. Try deep belly breathing—inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth with a longer exhale. Techniques like 7/11, 4/8, or 3/7 breathing can be helpful.
Accept your feelings: You may feel an immediate impulse to act on strong emotions, such as comfort eating, yelling, or escaping from problems. However, stay with the feeling and accept that it is present: "Okay, I feel angry right now, and it is completely okay for me to feel angry. This feeling will pass."
Move your body: Release emotional energy through movement—shake it out, dance, take a walk, do bunny hops or cry. Physical movement helps the body exit survival mode.

Research Interests:

Child development
Socio-emotional development
Media use within families
Attachment styles and attachment-related trauma
Attachment in adulthood
Emotional intelligence

Publications

Teaching

Courses

Knowledge Transfer

2020

Interview

Skaug, Silje. (2020) Barn av mediesamfunnet. barnevakten.no barnevakten.no [Internet] 2020-08-27

2018

Interview

Stranden, Anne Lise; Skaug, Silje. (2018) Spilling på nettbrett kan styrke toåringers utvikling. . forskning.no forskning.no [Internet] 2018-08-03
Interview

Munthe, Kris; Skaug, Silje. (2018) Nettbrett kan styrke samspillet mellom barn og foreldre. . Barnevakten Barnevakten [Internet] 2018-08-28
Programme participation

Kolås, Hannah; Skaug, Silje. (2018) P4 nyhetene. P4 P4 [Radio] 2018-08-06
Interview

Fjeld, Johannes; Drefvelin, Caroline; Skaug, Silje. (2018) Kritisk til "ettåring-TV". Dagbladet Dagbladet [Newspaper] 2018-12-12
Interview

Krosby, Silje Lunde; Skaug, Silje. (2018) Forsker: Derfor er nettbrett bra for barnet ditt. . TV2 TV2 [Internet] 2018-09-23
Interview

Aaser, Kristian; Skaug, Silje. (2018) Nettbrett bra for familien …hvis det gjøres riktig. . VG VG [Newspaper] 2018-08-03
Interview

Aaser, Kristian; Olguin, Brian Cliff; Tahseen, Rano; Skaug, Silje. (2018) TV-titting og spill på nettbrett sammen med barna kan styrke forholdet deres. VG VG [Internet] 2018-08-06

2013

Interview

Skaug, Silje; Midtbø, Mia Kristin. (2013) - Tv kan være bra for små barn. adressa.no adressa.no [Internet] 2013-05-23

Språkvelger

Silje Skaug Stokke