The Importance of Parenting in the Development of Self-control During Childhood, Early Adolescence, and Late Adolescence

Abstract

The current investigation tested changes in low self-control and the developmental links between parenting and the developmental course of self-control. It was hypothesized that (1) low self-control would change over time (within individual changes); (2) parenting would negatively predict both the intercept and slope of low self-control during childhood; (3) parenting would negatively predict only the intercept during early and late adolescence. Self-report data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS) were used, from the (1) first-grade elementary school panel (childhood; N = 2342), (2) the fourth-grade elementary school panel (early adolescence; N = 2378), and the (3) first-grade junior high school panel (late adolescence; N = 2351). Second-order latent growth curve models provided support that low self-control decreased over time. Findings also partially supported hypothesis 2, as parenting negatively predicted the intercept of low self-control, not the slope. Finally, they supported hypothesis 3, as a significant negative parenting effect predicted the low self-control intercept during both early and late adolescence. The current study contributes to research on the link between positive parenting and low self-control development, tested across three distinct developmental periods or age groups and by studying these questions among Korean youth.