Behavioral Self-regulation Research Articles

Evidence of validity of the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Revised (HTKS-R) for Brazilian children

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the reliability and validity of the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Revised (HTKS-R) as a measure of self-regulation in Brazilian children aged 3–5. The early childhood period is crucial for laying the foundations for personal, social and cognitive functioning, influencing development throughout life. Self-regulation, a malleable construct, plays a vital role in academic performance and behaviors throughout life. The HTKS-R, a widely used measure, assesses behavioral self-regulation, including cognitive flexibility, working memory and inhibitory control. The study included 379 children between the ages of 3 and 5 from a variety of backgrounds. Data were collected using the HTKS-R, a standardized self-report measure that integrates executive functions into a game to assess self-regulation. Exploratory Graphical Analysis (EGA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were employed to analyze the data. The results of the EGA and BootEGA indicated a unidimensional structure for the HTKS-R, confirming its internal consistency and stability. The CFA supported the fit of the unidimensional model, demonstrating the test’s construct validity. The HTKS-R showed factorial invariance between genders. The results suggest that the HTKS-R is a reliable and valid measure of self-regulation in Brazilian children aged 3–5. The applicability of the test in different age groups and environments provides valuable information about children’s self-regulation skills. The study contributes to the literature by validating the HTKS-R in the Brazilian context and highlights its potential for assessing self-regulation in diverse populations.

Capturing the Mind: Non-Driving-Related Tasks as a Window into Cognitive Engagement in Automated Driving

Supervising automated driving requires visual, manual, and cognitive engagement from the driver. While visual and manual engagement measures are already developed and implemented, cognitive engagement is much more difficult to observe. Considering drivers’ self-regulatory behavior when involved in non-driving-related tasks (NDRTs) during partial automation, the demand and duration of these NDRTs may indicate a certain level of driver cognitive engagement. The study explores a rating measure to partially estimate driver cognitive engagement based on the demand and duration of NDRTs and evaluate the psychometric properties of the NDRT rating. We examined the internal consistency of the measure by computing split-half reliability, tested its sensitivity to factor manipulation, and assessed criterion validity. Our initial findings suggest that the method is reliable and valid, showing satisfactory internal consistency, sensitivity to experimental manipulation, and criterion validity in predicting the takeover performance of supervising vehicle automation.

The inclusion of habits in the stage model of self-regulated behavior change: an investigation of life events and red meat consumption in the UK

The inclusion of habits in the stage model of self-regulated behavior change: an investigation of life events and red meat consumption in the UK

Continuity and change in early material hardship domains on the development of children’s behavioral self-regulation in middle childhood

Child poverty adversely impacts children’s behavioral self-regulation; however, the extent to which this association varies across different forms of material hardship (i.e., food, housing, bill-paying, utility, and medical) from infancy to early childhood is not well understood. The current study aims to identify the longitudinal patterns of early material hardship in five domains, examine demographic factors to distinguish class membership, and assess how hardship class membership predicts children’s behavioral self-regulation in middle childhood. We used data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4,677) across ages 1 to 9. The Multidimensional Growth Mixture Model identified four trajectory classes: Low Stable (n = 2,215, 47.4%), Increasing Bill and Utility Hardship (n = 1,180, 25.2%), High Infancy Bill Hardship (n = 799, 17.1%), and Persistent and Pervasive (n = 483, 10.3%). White, married mothers, mothers who were employed, families with income above 200% of the federal poverty threshold, and those who did not receive SNAP had higher odds of being in the Low Stable class than the three other classes. Children in the Persistent and Pervasive class exhibited the lowest levels of behavioral self-regulation in middle childhood compared to the other three classes. Children in the Increasing Bill and Utility Hardship and High Infancy Bill Hardship classes had lower behavioral self-regulation than those in the Low Stable class. These findings underscore the need for tailored interventions to alleviate the prolonged effects of financial adversity and exposure to early material deprivation experienced by children. Findings also highlight the importance of implementing intervention programs designed specifically to support the development of behavioral self-regulation among economically disadvantaged children.

Longitudinal relationship between adolescent emotional self-regulation and prosocial behavior toward powerful people: Disentangling between-person differences from within-person effects.

This study investigated the longitudinal effects between adolescent emotional self-regulation and prosocial behavior toward powerful people (i.e., actions aimed at benefiting or supporting individuals who hold significant influence or authority within a group or society), based on the perspective of positive socialization cycle. We recruited 543 Chinese adolescents (284 girls, M age at Time 1 = 11.27 years) and collected three waves of data over 3 years, each approximately 1 year apart (n Time 2 = 449, n Time 3 = 417). Traditional cross-lagged panel model was conducted to test the longitudinal relationship between emotional self-regulation and prosocial behavior toward powerful people. Then, a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was performed to disentangle the between-person differences from the within-person predictive processes. The results showed that, emotional self-regulation in the previous year was positively associated with prosocial behavior toward powerful people in the next year, whereas earlier prosocial behavior toward powerful people was not predictive of subsequent emotional self-regulation. Findings advocate the domain-specific nature of self-regulation and prosocial behavior and deepen our understanding of the relationship between the two from the culture-specific perspective. This study also highlights the value of emotional self-regulation intervention as a viable way to promote adolescent prosocial development. Theoretical and empirical implications are discussed.

Situational and personality factors of students’ adaptation preparedness

Introduction. The relevance of studying situational and personality factors of students’ adaptation preparedness is conditioned by the growing uncertainty of the future and the increasingly stressful conditions of social life. The study of adaptation preparedness factors is conditioned by the demand for psychological and pedagogical support of students at different stages of professionalisation at the university. The aim of the study is to identify the situational and personality factors of students’ adaptation preparedness and their correlation with regard for the significance, uncertainty and stressfulness of situations in the higher education environment. Materials and methods. The survey involved a number of higher education organisations of Saratov and its administrative region, Volgograd and Moscow (n=385) and was based on the following diagnostic toolkit: M.V. Grigoriev’s method of diagnosing adaptation preparedness of a personality, A.V. Zverkov’s and E.V. Eidman’s test-questionnaire “Study of volitional self-regulation”, V.I. Morosanova’s questionnaire “Self-regulation behaviour style – SBS-98”, as well as the author’s questioning scales in the context of assessing the learning environment situational parameters with regard for the significance, stressfulness and uncertainty of situations in the educational environment. Data processing was carried out using the IBM SPSS Statistics 27 package and AMOS software. The statistical procedures included descriptive statistics calculations, Pearson’s correlation analysis, stepwise regression analysis, and moderation effect assessment procedure. Results. The students’ reported situations of greatest significance included lectures (3.81), practical classes (4.19), interaction with classmates having good relations with the respondent (4.40), and proper relations with the administration (4.01). Positive correlations were revealed between the adaptation preparedness indicators, the significance of situational factors and the pronouncement of personality-associated factors within the range of (0.103-0.631), as well as negative correlations between the adaptation preparedness components and independence within the range of (-0.126 – -0.225). The regression analysis revealed positive personality predictors of adaptive preparedness (perseverance (β= 0.223), flexibility (β= 0.281), modelling (β= 0.168), programming (β= 0.143) and self-control (β= 0.186)) and negative predictors represented by autonomy (β= -0.169). The significance of interaction with classmates having good relations with the respondent is a positive situational predictor (β= 0.198), while the negative predictors are represented by the stressfulness of practical classes (β= -0.168) and the significance of interaction with classmates negatively treating the respondent (β= -0.169). The subsequent moderation analysis of the interrelationship between assessing a situation (as significant, stressful and uncertain) and self-regulation revealed the pronounced level of personal self-regulation [β=0.521; R2=0.32] and marked assessment of situation uncertainty [β= -0.139; R2=0.02]. Conclusion. The obtained results may be of interest both for researchers exploring adaptation issues and practising psychologists providing support to students at a higher education organisation.

A self-regulation perspective on L2 grit development and its impact on language achievement

Evidence from recent studies has shown that sustained perseverance and passion for long-term goals in the domain of second language (L2) learning – a personality trait called L2 grit – is associated with various aspects of language learning, including positive psychological attributes (e.g. motivation, beliefs, and emotions), actions (e.g. learning efforts and strategy use), and achievement (e.g. course and task performance). Meanwhile, relatively little has been written about the mechanism through which such relationships emerge. Expanding upon L2 grit’s association with self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviors and SRL-related psychological variables, this study explores the development of L2 grit and its role in language achievement using the SRL framework. One hundred and eight English majors in Japan responded to a questionnaire, granted permission to access their L2 class records, and completed a standardized L2 test. The main findings include: (1) the psychological attributes that facilitate SRL may play a critical role in increasing levels of L2 grit, (2) the relationship between L2 grit and achievement in language classes was mediated by behavioral self-regulation (intensified learning efforts), and (3) L2 grit may promote different types of self-regulatory behaviors depending on learners’ status (i.e. learning experience and proficiency levels) and learning situations (e.g. learning content and goals). The results provide one explanation for the superior performance of gritty learners in L2 classes observed in previous studies.

Exploring the perceptions and experiences of diabetes management and self-regulation in young adults using a continuous glucose monitoring device

Young adults face many pressures as they start being independent and responsible for their own actions and decisions. The use of continuous glucose monitoring has been shown to improve medical outcomes in diabetes management, but the mechanism of these improvements needs further investigation. This study aimed to examine the self-regulatory experiences and behaviours of a group of young adults using continuous glucose monitoring to manage type 1 diabetes. An exploratory qualitative approach was taken, using six virtual semi-structured interviews with young adults living with type 1 diabetes and using continuous glucose monitoring. A thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the gathered data. In this study, three themes demonstrated reciprocal determinism in that the observation of the continuous glucose monitoring results led to changes in the behaviours of the participants. The concepts of feedback and feedforward were also evident in the information provided by continuous glucose monitoring and the adjustment of the participants to achieve their personal blood glucose goals. The results of this study thus support the fact that self-regulation of those living with type 1 diabetes can be improved using continuous glucose monitoring as a tool for observation of blood glucose fluctuations and can, as a result, lead to changes in diabetes management behaviours and health outcomes. Continuous glucose monitoring provides the opportunity to observe the consequences of diabetes management behaviours, which activates the self-regulation processes of feedback and feedforward. This process has the potential to improve diabetes management behaviours in this vulnerable group.

The Role of Academic Motivation in Self-Regulation, Goal Orientation, and Passion Among Medical Students with Self-Handicapping Behaviors

Background: Self-handicapping behaviors, characterized by creating obstacles or excuses to avoid failure, can hinder academic success. Understanding how academic motivation mediates the relationship between self-handicapping behaviors and academic performance is crucial for supporting medical students. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between academic self-regulation, goal orientation, passion, and self-handicapping behaviors among medical students, with academic motivation as a potential mediator. Methods: The present study employed a descriptive, correlational approach to examine the relationships between variables within a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. The population consisted of all undergraduate medical students with self-handicapping behaviors at Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in 2022. The sample comprised 204 medical students selected using purposive sampling, who completed the Academic Passion Scale, Goal Orientation Scale, Academic Self-Regulation Scale, and Academic Motivation Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the model with AMOS 24. Results: The SEM analysis revealed that the proposed model had a good fit to the data (CFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.05). The results further demonstrated that goal orientation directly enhanced students' academic passion, while academic self-regulation did not have a direct impact. However, strong self-regulation indirectly increased passion by fostering academic motivation (P < 0.001). Similarly, goal orientation also worked indirectly through motivation to enhance academic passion (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of goal setting and academic motivation in fostering academic passion among medical students with self-handicapping behaviors. While academic self-regulation strategies may not directly translate to academic passion, they can contribute indirectly by fostering academic motivation. Educators and practitioners can promote academic passion and address self-handicapping behaviors in medical students by encouraging goal orientation, academic motivation, self-regulation, and providing support for overcoming challenges.

Behavioral self-regulation development in at-risk families: the role of family resources

ABSTRACT Children from disadvantaged families are at greater risk of developing regulation difficulties. Research suggests that family-level resources such as parental education or income are related to self-regulation development. However, most studies looking at the role of family resources have used single estimators of socioeconomic status or applied a composite score, neglecting that an interplay of resources may affect self-regulation outcomes. In N = 248 at-risk children (M age: 65.7 months, 51% female), we examined the effect of economic, cultural, and social family resources on behavioral self-regulation in kindergarten. Results showed that family income, maternal education, and available help in child-rearing predicted the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task performance. The results indicate that behavioral self-regulation is associated with different family resources beyond socioeconomic status.

Determinants of self-management behavior in gout: a scoping review.

This study aimed to identify modifiable determinants of self-management behavior in gout. Four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL) were searched using terms related to gout, self-management and determinants of behavior as described in the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Two reviewers independently selected relevant studies via screening of title/abstract and full text. Thematic synthesis was performed for qualitative data; quantitative data was summarized using cross-tabulation displaying the investigated associations of determinants with self-management behavior. The TDF facilitated identification and grouping of determinants. From 2087 unique articles found, 56 studies were included in this review, of which 27 qualitative and 29 quantitative studies. Eight themes were identified: knowledge and skills for self-management, acceptance of disease, beliefs about necessity of self-management to improve gout-related health, resistance and reluctance for medication adherence and dietary alteration/changes, negative emotions influencing self-management, social support and interactions, environmental context, and self-regulation of behavior. Quantitative determinants associated with self-management behavior, predominantly medication adherence, were mapped to 12 of the 14 domains of the TDF. No determinants regarding skills and goals have been identified in quantitative research. Intervention targets for self-management behavior in gout mainly included determinants related to knowledge, implicit and explicit beliefs and attitudes, the environmental context and resources, (social) support and reinforcement.

Learning Analytics Dashboard Design and Evaluation to Support Student Self-Regulation of Study Behaviour

For university students, self-regulation of study behaviour is important. However, students are not always capable of effective self-regulation. Providing study behaviour information via a learning analytics dashboard (LAD) may support phases within self-regulated learning (SRL). However, it is unclear what information a LAD should provide, how to present information in a usable manner, and what the information’s perceived usefulness is in supporting self-regulation of study behaviour. This study entails a sequential mixed design: assessing information needs in focus groups (n=7), exploring usability via think-aloud interviews (n=8), assessing usability with the System Usability Scale (n=42), and assessing perceived usefulness via interviews (n=16). Results showed that students and tutors agreed on the relevance of the constructs chosen from literature but differed in ranking the importance of new constructs. Usability exploration led to several design improvements. Perceived usefulness assessment showed the LAD supported the appraisal of study behaviour. A need for reference frames to facilitate data interpretation was vocalized. Impacts on study behaviour varied, possibly because preparatory activities were not used. Impact could be improved by further integrating the LAD into existing learning processes.

Mind-Body Classroom Strategies: Techniques to Reduce Elementary Student Stress Following Active Shooter Drills

Active shooter drills are widely used in schools throughout the United States, with more than 92% of public schools having an active shooter plan. These drills can increase student stress and anxiety and can have a variety of negative effects, such as somatic complaints, anxiety, poor self-regulation of emotions and behaviors, risk for depression, and prevalence of obesity and eating disorders. This article describes the efficacy of physical activity breaks, mindful breathing techniques, and emotional regulation strategies to reduce stress reactivity and enhance recovery in elementary-age students following active shooter safety drills. A list of example activities is provided for each of the three stress management categories. Each of the activities can be adapted to various developmental levels (i.e., K-12), settings (i.e., classroom, hallway, outdoors), and time availability (i.e., one minute to 10 minutes). The strategies may also be utilized following other emergency drills or during other times of high student and classroom stress.

A portrait of self-regulated musical learning behaviors among rock musicians: Applications in music education

Rock music and Western classical music seem very different but musicians in the two cultures may have enough self-regulated musical learning behaviors in common for concurrent application in school-based music education. In this paper, I describe the self-reported self-regulated musical learning behaviors of seven successful rock musicians, compare their behaviors to those expected in the Western classical tradition, and suggest ways to combine norms from both traditions in effective music education programs. Data are collected through digital ethnography methodology from a series of interviews published in YouTube. Emergent themes in the self-regulated musical learning behaviors of rock musicians include (1) passion for music making, (2) the importance of choice, (3) a need for personal control over learning, and (4) an emphasis on musical composition in daily practice.

Psychotic Experiences Questionnaire. Part 2

BACKGROUND: On the basis of the concept of psychotic and psychotic-like experiences, delusions and auditory hallucinations presented in Part 1 of this article, the structure of the links between psychotic experiences and social anxiety and its components and psychological parameters is analyzed. A mediator model of the relationship between social anxiety and the phase of psychotic alienation — "experiencing external control" — is discussed. AIM: To investigate the parameters and stages of development of psychotic and psychotic-like experiences registered with the Psychotic Experiences Questionnaire in the context of analyzing the structure of relationships with psychological variables (social anxiety, metacognitive and cognitive phenomena). Тo construct a mediator model of the indirect effect of social anxiety components on the “experience of being controlled externally” mediated by thought suppression (“polar bear effect”). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample — 122 respondents, includes non-clinical and two clinical groups — with symptoms of the affective spectrum and with symptoms of the psychotic spectrum. The author's ‘Psychotic Experiences Questionnaire’ was used to assess the severity of psychotic experiences, the scales of which represent the phases of the unfolding of the experiences. Social anxiety and its components (author's “Social Anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire”), cognitive (“Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire”, “Behavioural Self-Regulation Style — SSPM 2020” questionnaire) and metacognitive (Thought Suppression Scale, author's “Self-Focused Attention Questionnaire”) strategies were determined. RESULTS: Pearson correlation analysis showed significant ‘direct’ associations of early and moderate psychotic and psychotic-like experiences with social anxiety and its components, metacognitive (self-focused attention and thought suppression) parameters, and ‘inverse’ links with cognitive parameters (cognitive component of conscious self-regulation and cognitive flexibility). Correlations with psychological parameters become insignificant in intense psychotic experiences. Using mediator analysis, the full indirect effects of the social anxiety components influence on the enhancement of “experiencing being controlled externally” as a phase of psychotic experiences maximum intensity were measured (mediator — thought suppression). CONCLUSION: Metacognitive strategies, social anxiety, disturbed self-regulation and flexibility play an important role in the genesis and maintenance of psychotic experiences. Significant correlations of the parameters with psychotic experience are shown, but at the height of alienation the significant correlations weaken. At the height of psychotic experience in the absence of direct effects it is possible to explicate the indirect influence of the predictor — social anxiety on the experience of controllability from the outside, mediated by thought suppression. This article is a continuation of the article by Sagalakova OA, Truevtsev DV, Zhirnova OV. Psychotic Experiences Questionnaire. Part 1. Neurology Bulletin. 2024;56(1):23–36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/nb623959

ECOLOGICALLY-ORIENTED TEACHING OF ENGLISH TO STUDENTS OF PEDAGOGICAL SPECIALITIES

The relevance of the study in this paper is due to the problems of ecology in the modern world and the formation of ecological culture among the younger generation within the framework of the educational process to introduce them the ecological values in their future professional activities to preserve and restore the ecosystem of the planet. The purpose of the study is to form a model for the didactic foundations of ecologically-oriented teaching of English to students of pedagogical specialities. The leading method for the study of this issue is the a survey using the M. Rokich test for diagnosing personal value orientations, which makes it possible to determine social values, psychological aspirations by identifying the existing self-tasks of the person under survey, features of his or her self-determination and self-regulation of behaviour within the framework of ecological culture. The study presents didactic foundations of ecologically-oriented teaching of English to students of pedagogical specialities with formation of value orientations including value-motivational, cognitive-informational and modeling of creative ecological-cognitive professional activity on the basis of which the level of ecological culture of students can be created. The formed didactic foundations model of ecologically-oriented teaching of English to students of pedagogical specialties enables to create ecological culture with value standards of careful attitude to the environment and all levels of nature, which will allow them to introduce it in the educational process in their future professional activity to educate students about high ecological culture and creative behavior concerning natural objects and the whole ecosystem of life in general, which has practical significance for the education system and well-being of society.

A study of project-based learning to intermediate EFL learners in reading class: enhancing self-regulated learning of post-secondary students in Macao

AbstractThis study explored two new pedagogical conceptions—project-based learning (PBL) and self-regulated learning (SRL), to enhance effective English teaching and learning in Macao, and to prepare EFL learners for life-long learning. PBL makes English instruction engaging and SRL empowers learners to take ownership of their learning process. The combination of these two methodologies can facilitate students to develop into independent and efficient English learners. The study, guided by Zimmerman’s cyclical phase model of SRL and English and Kitsantas’ PBL/SRL model, was action research which aimed to investigate whether PBL could positively influence the development of intermediate EFL learners’ SRL ability at the post-secondary level in Macao. Research instruments included questionnaires, interviews, students’ reflective notes and teacher’s field notes. Both qualitative and quantitative findings indicated improvement in the students’ SRL ability, reflected in three aspects—motivation, metacognition, and behaviors. The students’ motivational beliefs were significantly strengthened, and more self-regulated behaviors were generated. Though the use of metacognitive strategies did not showcase as significant enhancement as the former elements through the study, the experimental group made progress in using some specific strategies, such as evaluating learning outcomes and making study plans. The summary of the study is that PBL was beneficial to the development of SRL. This research endeavor not only contributes to the existing body of knowledge but also serves as a catalyst for educators to advocate policy reforms, fostering the design of learner-centered, flexible, and coherent post-secondary EFL curricula.

A meta-analysis of self-regulation and digital recreation from birth to adolescence

There is good reason to implicate self-regulation in our digital recreation duration, choices, and behaviours. However, the direction, degree, and diversity of their association is unclear. To offer more robust and nuanced evidence to this issue of acute public concern, the current study presents a comprehensive meta-analysis of the associations between self-regulation and digital recreation from birth to adolescence – consolidating 183 studies reporting 232 associations from 234,476 children and adolescents. Across these studies, digital recreation clustered into investigations of screen time, features of problematic digital engagement, exposure to violent content, communicating with strangers online, sexting, and media multitasking. Although a pattern of negative bivariate associations was observed between self-regulation and aspects of digital recreation, the strength of association for screen time was weak (r = −.04 for computer use to r = −.15 for social media use). Once control variables were considered, relationships with exposure to violent digital content were rendered similarly trivial, suggesting other variables likely account for these correlations. This reduces our confidence in these associations. In contrast, lower self-regulation was more highly associated with problematic engagement (r = −.28 for problematic gaming to r = −.41 for problematic mobile phone use), communicating with strangers online (r = −.18), and sexting (r = −.20). This pattern of results points to a relationship that is variable by type of digital activity, which in our meta-analyses ranged from null to strong and negative. Where a relationship exists, it may be bi-directional given associations remained for longitudinal studies that positioned either self-regulation or digital recreation as predictor. Most moderators of these associations were non-significant, although the negative association of self-regulation with time spent gaming was increasingly strong with increasing participant age. This study instigates a disentangling of the nature of the relationship between self-regulation and digital choices and behaviours across the early stages of life.

Digital behaviour change intervention for weight loss maintenance in adults with obesity: a feasibility pilot study of eCHANGE

ABSTRACT Successful weight maintenance after weight loss is challenging. Digital interventions may facilitate behaviour change to prevent weight regain, however little is known about the acceptance and use of digital interventions in support of weight maintenance. This mixed methods study aims to evaluate user experiences, system use, and preliminary efficacy of eCHANGE, an application based self-management intervention for weight loss maintenance. A 3-month multi-site single group feasibility pilot study was conducted among adults (N = 60) with BMI ≥30 kg/m2, aiming to maintain weight after weight loss of ≥8%. User experiences and system use were examined through validated questionnaires, system use log data, and individual interviews (n = 15). Preliminary efficacy testing included body weight and patient reported outcome measures. Participants rated eCHANGE usability and usefulness as good in support of weight maintenance, with variation in usage. Analysis indicated that higher behavioural engagement scores were statistically significantly associated with frequency of technology usage. Weight loss was maintained by 83% of the participants at 3-months (i.e. defined as weight change of <3% of baseline body weight (kg)). Digital interventions, combining persuasive system design principles and behaviour change techniques, supporting self-regulation and maintenance of health behaviours, have the potential to facilitate weight maintenance after weight loss. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04537988 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04537988

Differential growth trajectories of behavioral self-regulation from early childhood to adolescence: Implication for youth domain-general and school-specific outcomes

The current study examined the developmental trajectories of behavioral self-regulation from early childhood to adolescence and linked them to adolescent domain-general (i.e., positive functioning and delinquent behavior) and school-specific (i.e., school connectedness and peer victimization) outcomes. Using data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4009), Growth Mixture Models identified four behavioral self-regulation trajectory classes: early developer (n = 2096, 52.3%), moderate stable (n = 1500, 37.4%), lagged developer (n = 212, 5.2%), and regressor (n = 201, 5%). Child and family characteristics were used to distinguish these four trajectories. The early developer trajectory had the strongest protective effect on adolescent outcomes, showing the highest levels of positive functioning and school connectedness and the lowest levels of delinquent behavior and peer victimization. Conversely, the regressor trajectory was linked with highest risky adolescent outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of implementing targeted intervention programs that promote behavioral self-regulation during middle childhood.