Abstract
Background: Associations between self-control in adolescence and adult mental health are unclear in the general population; to our knowledge, no study has investigated self-control in relation to psychotic-like symptoms. Aims: To investigate the relationship between adolescent self-control and the midlife mental health outcomes of anxiety and depression symptoms and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), controlling for the effect of adolescent conduct and emotional problems and for parental occupational social class and childhood cognition. Methods: A population-based sample, the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (the British 1946 birth cohort) was contacted 23 times between ages 6 weeks and 53 years. Teachers completed rating scales to assess emotional adjustment and behaviors, from which factors measuring self-control, behavioral, and emotional problems were extracted. At age 53 years, PLEs were self-reported by 2918 participants using 4 items from the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire; symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed using the scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Results: After adjustment for the above covariates, poor adolescent self-control was associated with the presence of PLEs in adulthood, specifically hallucinatory experiences at age 53 years, even after adjustment for GHQ-28 scores. Conclusions: Lower self-control in adolescence is a risk factor for hallucinatory experiences in adulthood.
Highlights
Self-control is defined as “the capacity to override natural and automatic tendencies, desires, or behaviors”; “to pursue long-term goals, even at the expense of short-term attractions”; and “to follow socially prescribed norms and rules.” In other words, self-control is the capacity to alter the self’s responses to achieve a desired state or outcome that otherwise would not arise naturally.[1]
At age 53 years, psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) were self-reported by 2918 participants using 4 items from the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire; symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed using the scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28)
The GHQ-28 at age 53 was completed by 1423 men and 1479 women, P
Summary
Self-control is defined as “the capacity to override natural and automatic tendencies, desires, or behaviors”; “to pursue long-term goals, even at the expense of short-term attractions”; and “to follow socially prescribed norms and rules.” In other words, self-control is the capacity to alter the self’s responses to achieve a desired state or outcome that otherwise would not arise naturally.[1]. Recent reports from birth cohort studies have indicated that self-control in childhood and adolescence might be a significant developmental precursor that could predict a broad range of later outcomes including educational and occupational underachievement, poor physical health, and trouble with the criminal justice system.[3,4] these studies did not identify clear associations between self-control and mental health outcomes. This is an important issue given the impact of these outcomes. Conclusions: Lower self-control in adolescence is a risk factor for hallucinatory experiences in adulthood
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