Low Effortful Control Research Articles

The Influence of Temperament, Theory of Mind, Inhibitory Control, and Prosocial Behavior on Child Anxiety Symptoms in the First Five Years of Life.

Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent of all mental health disorders, often originating in early childhood and extending into later childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Determining salient risk factors that precede their development is important for prevention and intervention efforts. Towards this end, we examined the role of temperament, theory of mind, inhibitory control, and prosocial behavior on child anxiety symptoms in the first 5years of life. A community sample of children and their parents (N = 399) enrolled in a longitudinal study of emotion processing were assessed when the children were infants and at ages 2years, 3years, and 5years. Linear mixed models and linear regression models revealed that greater anxiety at 5years was associated with greater negative affectivity and behavioral inhibition, lower effortful control, lower theory of mind scores on the "desires" domain, and higher scores on the "intentions" domain (assessed from infancy to 3years of age). These characteristics may be useful to assess in clinical settings to evaluate a patient's risk for developing anxiety. They may also be useful in developinginterventions targeting specific vulnerabilities.

Cure for tantrums? Longitudinal associations between parental digital emotion regulation and children's self-regulatory skills

IntroductionParents often use digital devices to regulate their children's negative emotions, e.g., to stop tantrums. However, this could hinder child development of self-regulatory skills. The objective of the study was to observe bidirectional longitudinal associations between parents' reliance on digital devices to regulate their child's emotions and self-regulatory tendencies (anger/frustration management, effortful control, impulsivity).MethodsParents (N = 265) filled out the Child Behavior Questionnaire—Short Form and the Media Assessment Questionnaire twice: the initial assessment (T1) took place in 2020 (mean child age = 3.5 years old), and follow-up (T2) occurred a year later in 2021 (mean child age = 4.5 years old).ResultsHigher occurrence of parental digital emotion regulation (PDER) in T1 predicts higher anger and lower effortful control in T2, but not impulsivity. Higher anger in T1, but not impulsivity and effortful control, predicts higher PDER in T2.DiscussionOur results suggest that parents of children with greater temperament-based anger use digital devices to regulate the child's emotions (e.g., anger). However, this strategy hinders development of self-regulatory skills, leading to poorer effortful control and anger management in the child.

Maternal psychological distress and temperament traits in children from infancy to late childhood.

Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is associated with infant temperament. Whether associations persist into late childhood, whether maternal distress is associated with temperament change from infancy to late childhood, whether associations are independent of maternal concurrent distress, and whether maternal distress has sensitive exposure periods on child temperament remain unclear. Our study includes mother-child dyads from Finnish, prospective Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction study. The mothers completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, State Anxiety Inventory and Perceived Stress Scale: biweekly up to 14 times during pregnancy; once in infancy (at child age 4-12months); and once in late childhood (at child age 7-11years). They also completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire Revised at the infancy (n=2538) and Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire at the late childhood (n=2004; 1693 children had data at both follow-ups) follow-up on child negative affectivity, extraversion and effortful control. We examined the associations of maternal distress with child temperament with linear regression, linear mixed and Bayesian relevant lifecourse exposure models. Maternal distress during pregnancy was associated with higher negative affectivity and lower effortful control in children in infancy and late childhood. Maternal distress during pregnancy was also associated with increases in negative affectivity, decreases in effortful Control, and smaller decreases in extraversion from infancy to late childhood. The associations with late childhood temperament and temperament change were independent of maternal concurrent distress. Late childhood was a sensitive period for lifetime-to-date effects of maternal distress on late childhood negative affectivity and effortful control. Distress during pregnancy and infancy had smaller contributions. Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy is associated with individual differences and change in child temperament from infancy to late childhood. However, distress during pregnancy has a smaller effect on late childhood temperament than maternal concurrent distress.

Trajectories of adolescents' adjustment behaviors across the transition to upper secondary education: The role of individual and environmental factors

This longitudinal study examined the developmental trajectories of 901 Finnish adolescents' (M = 15.3 at T1, SD = 0.37) adjustment behaviors (prosocial behavior and externalizing problems) across the transition to upper secondary education. The role of adolescents' temperament and relationship with parents and teachers were investigated. Four trajectories of adjustment behaviors were distinguished: moderate prosocial and high externalizing (25.8 %), high prosocial and low externalizing (64.9 %), decreasing prosocial and increasing externalizing before the transition (7.4 %), decreasing prosocial and increasing externalizing after the transition (1.9 %). Adolescents' higher negative affectivity, lower effortful control, and less close and conflicting relationship with parents and teachers are positively associated with the trajectory of moderate prosocial behavior and high externalizing problems. In contrast, high effortful control, high closeness, and low conflict are positively associated with the trajectories of high prosocial and low externalizing problems as well as decreasing prosocial and increasing externalizing after the transition.

The influence of socio-economic status on child temperament and psychological symptom profiles.

The influence of socio-economic status (SES) on child temperament and psychological symptoms was examined using a nationally representative sample in Singapore. Data were available for 2169 children from 1987 families. Caregivers' reports were obtained on children aged 4-6. SES was operationalized as an aggregation of household income per capita, parental education level and housing type. Compared to their counterparts from higher SES families, children from low-SES families tended to exhibit (a) higher negative affectivity but lower effortful control, and (b) higher internalizing and externalizing symptoms. In addition, children with a 'resilient' temperamental profile (i.e. low negative affectivity and high effortful control) were more likely to come from families with much higher SES, relative to children with other profiles. Children with high internalizing symptoms tended to come from low-SES backgrounds, regardless of their externalizing symptoms. Among children with low internalizing symptoms, those with high externalizing symptoms came from lower SES backgrounds compared to those with low externalizing symptoms. Parental warmth and distress mediated the association between SES and child temperament and symptom profiles, with the exception of distress in the SES-temperament link. These findings supported the family stress model and highlighted the novel perspective of SES's influence on configurations of child temperament and symptom characteristics.

The role of children’s emotion regulation and maternal emotion socialization in preschoolers’ behavioral difficulties during the COVID-19 lockdown

Turkey, like many countries, implemented protective measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. One such measure involved isolating young children to reduce virus transmission. However, this regulation presented parents with the challenging task of juggling work responsibilities while caring for their young children without the usual support from external resources. Given these difficult circumstances, young children may struggle with emotion regulation, while isolation can impede parents from effectively addressing their children’s negative emotions. This online study aims to examine the dynamic relationship between children’s emotion regulation ability and maternal emotion socialization capacity in predicting children’s behavioral difficulties. The study revealed a positive correlation between maternal punitive and minimizing emotion socialization reactions and children’s behavioral difficulties. However, this association was primarily observed in children with high negative emotionality and low effortful control. Notably, when children had low negative emotionality scores, maternal minimizing emotion socialization behaviors were negatively associated with their behavior problems. These findings support the idea that during stressful periods, such as a pandemic, the diathesis-stress model may become more applicable. It emphasizes the interaction between individuals’ vulnerabilities and environmental triggers leading to unfavorable outcomes, such as higher levels of children’s externalizing problems. These results underscore the importance of tailored intervention programs for parent-child dyads experiencing limited psychological resources during stressful events like a pandemic.

Longitudinal and Concurrent Effortful Control as Predictors of Risky Bicycling in Adolescence: Moderating Effects of Age and Gender.

Collisions between bicycles and motor vehicles are one of the leading risk factors for injury and death in childhood and adolescence. We examined longitudinal and concurrent effortful control (EC) as predictors of risky bicycling behavior in early- to mid-adolescence, with age and gender as moderators. We also examined whether EC was associated with parent-reported real-world bicycling behavior and all lifetime unintentional injuries. Parent-reported EC measures were collected when children (N = 85) were 4 years old and when they were either 10 years (N = 42) or 15 years (N = 43) old. We assessed risky bicycling behavior by asking the adolescents to bicycle across roads with high-density traffic in an immersive virtual environment. Parents also reported on children's real-world bicycling behavior and lifetime unintentional injuries at the time of the bicycling session. We found that both longitudinal and concurrent EC predicted adolescents' gap choices, though these effects were moderated by age and gender. Lower parent-reported early EC in younger and older girls predicted a greater willingness to take tight gaps (3.5 s). Lower parent-reported concurrent EC in older boys predicted a greater willingness to take gaps of any size. Children lower in early EC started bicycling earlier and were rated as less cautious bicyclists as adolescents. Adolescents lower in concurrent EC were also rated as less cautious bicyclists and had experienced more lifetime unintentional injuries requiring medical attention. Early measures of child temperament may help to identify at-risk populations who may benefit from parent-based interventions.

Toddler negative affectivity and effortful control: Relations with parent-toddler conversation engagement and indirect effects on language

Evidence that early parent-child conversation supports early language development suggests a need to understand factors that account for individual differences in parent-child conversation engagement. Whereas most studies focus on demographic factors, we investigated the role of toddler temperament in a longitudinal study of 120 economically strained families. Specifically, we investigated the degree to which toddlers’ negative affectivity and effortful control, considered together as a composite reflecting challenging temperament, accounted for variability in parent-toddler conversation engagement, and whether the frequency of that engagement mediated associations between toddler temperament and toddler expressive language skills. Toddler challenging temperament (i.e., high negative affectivity and low effortful control) and parent-toddler conversation engagement were measured at 18 and 30 months. Toddler expressive language skills were measured at 18, 24, and 36 months. As expected, a path model indicated inverse relations between toddler challenging temperament and concurrent parent-toddler conversation engagement at both 18 and 30 months. Unexpectedly, there were no direct associations between toddler challenging temperament and toddler expressive language skills either concurrently or longitudinally. However, we found indirect effects of toddler challenging temperament on later toddler expressive language skills via parent-toddler conversation engagement. Findings highlight the importance of considering toddler temperamental characteristics in addition to family demographics as important factors that account for variability in parent-toddler conversation engagement.

Disentangling the interplay between genes, cognitive skills, and educational level in adolescent and young adult smoking – The TRAILS study

Recent studies suggest that smoking and lower educational attainment may have genetic influences in common. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which genetics contributes to educational inequalities in adolescent and young adult smoking. Common genetic liabilities may underlie cognitive skills associated with both smoking and education, such as IQ and effortful control, in line with indirect health-related selection explanations. Additionally, by affecting cognitive skills, genes may predict educational trajectories and hereby adolescents’ social context, which may be associated with smoking, consistent with social causation explanations. Using data from the Dutch TRAILS Study (N = 1581), we estimated the extent to which polygenic scores (PGSs) for ever smoking regularly (PGSSMOK) and years of education (PGSEDU) predict IQ and effortful control, measured around age 11, and whether these cognitive skills then act as shared predictors of smoking and educational level around age 16, 19, 22, and 26. Second, we assessed if educational level mediated associations between PGSs and smoking. Both PGSs were associated with lower effortful control, and PGSEDU also with lower IQ. Lower IQ and effortful control, in turn, predicted having a lower educational level. However, neither of these cognitive skills were directly associated with smoking behaviour after controlling for covariates and PGSs. This suggests that IQ and effortful control are not shared predictors of smoking and education (i.e., no indirect health-related selection related to cognitive skills). Instead, PGSSMOK and PGSEDU, partly through their associations with lower cognitive skills, predicted selection into a lower educational track, which in turn was associated with more smoking, in line with social causation explanations. Our findings suggest that educational differences in the social context contribute to associations between genetic liabilities and educational inequalities in smoking.

Association of temperament with oral health behaviour and caries status in Thai preschool children.

Temperament associated with oral health behaviour and early childhood caries (ECC) in preschoolers remains inconclusive. This cross-sectional study investigated the association of temperament with oral health behaviour and ECC status. A total of 421 Thai preschoolers were recruited from elementary schools in Chonburi Province, Thailand. Their caregivers assessed three temperament dimensions (surgency, negative affectivity and effortful control) using the Thai version of the Children's Behaviour Questionnaire Very Short Form and reported oral health behaviours (brushing cooperation and cariogenic snack frequency). Three calibrated dentists assessed ECC status using the modified WHO dmft/dmfs (decayed, missing and filled teeth/surface) index that included noncavitated and cavitated carious lesions. Multiple regression analysis, after adjusting for child's and caregiver's characteristics, revealed that children with high negative affectivity or low effortful control were more likely to have uncooperative brushing behaviour. The temperament scores of children who consumed cariogenic snacks daily and those who did not were comparable. Children with low surgency, high negative affectivity or low effortful control were more likely to have high dmfs scores. Negative affectivity and effortful control were associated with brushing behaviour. Temperament was not associated with the frequency of cariogenic snack consumption. All temperamental dimensions, however, were associated with ECC.

The Interplay between Socioeconomic Status, Parenting and Temperament Predicts Inhibitory Control at Two Years of Age.

This paper investigates the interplay between environmental factors (socioeconomic status (SES) and parenting) and temperament in the development of inhibitory control (IC) at 2 years of age. We administered to toddlers (n = 59) a delay of gratification task which measures IC in the context of self-regulation. Parents reported their toddlers' temperament, parenting strategies, and SES. We hypothesized that poorer IC would be associated with more reactive temperament, less effortful control, lower SES and inconsistent/coercive parenting practices. Finally, we explored the interaction between temperament, parenting and SES. We found that both coercive parenting and low-SES were negatively correlated to IC at the age of 2 years. Temperamental reactivity was unrelated to IC, whereas temperamental effortful control (EC) was positively associated with IC. Results revealed a moderation effect of EC on the influence of coercive parenting and SES in toddlers' IC. Toddlers from lower SES backgrounds and with lower EC were more affected by inconsistent/coercive parenting practices and showed the poorest IC. In contrast, toddlers exhibiting high and average levels of EC seemed to be protected from the detrimental effect of low-SES and inconsistent/coercive parenting on IC. These results suggest that strengthening toddlers' EC and improving parents' parenting skills might be especially relevant for the development of IC in the context of self-regulation, particularly by preventing self-regulatory problems in children from socioeconomically deprived environments. Future studies with larger samples, focusing on populations from severe socioeconomically deprived environments, or intervention studies will be needed in order to confirm and expand our findings.

Exposure to intimate partner violence alters longitudinal associations between caregiver depressive symptoms and effortful control in children and adolescents.

Adaptation to intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure involves alterations in transdiagnostic processes including effortful control (EC), and yet little attention has been given to the ways such processes interact with family-level factors, such as caregivers' psychopathology. This study used latent change score modeling to compare trajectories of EC and caregivers' depressive (CD) symptoms between children and adolescents (N = 365) ages 7-17 who had witnessed IPV (IPV+; 45.3%) and those who had not (IPV-) across 3 years. Findings suggested that IPV exposure moderated relationships between EC and CD. CD was higher and EC was lower for IPV+ relative to IPV- participants, although there was significant variation around mean-level CD and EC in both groups. CD and EC were only linked for IPV+ participants, where higher baseline CD was associated with lower EC that lagged behind IPV- participants' EC across the 3 years of the study. Rates of change for CD significantly varied for the IPV+ group only, indicating that individual difference factors interacted with IPV exposure to influence changes in CD. These findings inform literature on transdiagnostic adaptation processes and point to the potential utility of interventions to reduce IPV and CD in supporting EC in children and adolescents across contexts.

Predicting Effortful Control at 3 Years of Age from Measures of Attention and Home Environment in Infancy: A Machine Learning Approach.

Effortful control (EC) is a dimension of temperament that encompass individual differences in self-regulation and the control of reactivity. Much research suggests that EC has a strong foundation on the development of executive attention, but increasing evidence also shows a significant contribution of the rearing environment to individual differences in EC. The aim of the current study was to predict the development of EC at 36 months of age from early attentional and environmental measures taken in infancy using a machine learning approach. A sample of 78 infants participated in a longitudinal study running three waves of data collection at 6, 9, and 36 months of age. Attentional tasks were administered at 6 months of age, with two additional measures (i.e., one attentional measure and another self-restraint measure) being collected at 9 months of age. Parents reported household environment variables during wave 1, and their child's EC at 36 months. A machine-learning algorithm was implemented to identify children with low EC scores at 36 months of age. An "attention only" model showed greater predictive sensitivity than the "environmental only" model. However, a model including both attentional and environmental variables was able to classify the groups (Low-EC vs. Average-to-High EC) with 100% accuracy. Sensitivity analyses indicate that socio-economic variables together with attention control processes at 6 months, and self-restraint capacity at 9 months, are the most important predictors of EC. Results suggest a foundational role of executive attention processes in the development of EC in complex interactions with household environments and provide a new tool to identify early markers of socio-emotional regulation development.

Effects of peer vicarious experience and low effortful control on children's anxiety in social performance situations.

Two experiments investigated perceived and physiological changes in anxiety in children (7-11 years; N = 222; 98 female) in a performance situation after they observed another child in a similar situation with a negative or neutral outcome. The sample's London, United Kingdom, school catchment areas ranged from low to high socioeconomic statuses with 31% to 49% of children from ethnic minority backgrounds. In Study 1, participants watched one of two films of a child playing a simple musical instrument (a kazoo). In one film, an audience of peers responds negatively to the performance. In the other film, the audience response was neutral. Participants were then filmed playing the instrument themselves and measures of perceived and actual heart rate were taken along with individual differences in trait social anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and effortful control. To better understand findings from Study 1, Study 2 replicated Study 1 but added a manipulation check and measures of effortful control and self-reported anxiety. Multiple regression analyses found watching a negative performance film, compared with a neutral one, was associated with a blunted heart rate response for children with low effortful control (Study 1 and 2). These findings suggest that children who are low in effortful control may disengage during performance tasks if the situation's social threat is elevated. Hierarchical regression analyses found that, compared to the neutral film, the negative performance film elevated children's self-report anxiety (Study 2). Overall, the findings indicated that anxiety in performance situations can be elevated after observing peers' negative experiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Effects of Peer Vicarious Experience and Low Effortful Control on Children's Anxiety in Social Performance Situations

Supplemental Material for Effects of Peer Vicarious Experience and Low Effortful Control on Children's Anxiety in Social Performance Situations

Behavioral Outcomes of Children With In-Utero Opioid Exposure Age 2-7 and Parenting Self-Efficacy.

The relationship between behavior difficulties and parenting self-efficacy in children with in-utero opioid exposure (IOE) remains a significant gap that needs to be addressed for providers to better understand the mental health trajectories of children with IOE and help these families. In this study, caregivers' perception of their child's behavior and potential relationships between parenting self-efficacy, child temperament, and behavior difficulties were investigated. A descriptive survey design with a convenience sample of 143 caregivers of 2- to 7-year-old children with IOE who had follow-up visits in a Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) clinic was used for this study. Data were collected using a survey of demographics, the Children's Behavior Questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. The overall sample scored in the average range of behavior difficulties, but a subgroup of children with very high difficulties was identified who exhibited a negative temperament, and caregivers reported a lower sense of parenting competence. There were no differences between groups on demographic variables. High negative affect and low effortful control are predictive of later internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as broader problems in self-regulation, school readiness, and socioemotional competence. Thus, although a large percentage of children treated for NAS appear to be functioning at the same level as their peers, a subset of children appears to be at higher risk. Child behavior as well as caregiver self-efficacy should be assessed during all provider encounters.

Effect of maternal eating disorders on mother-infant quality of interaction, bonding and child temperament: Alongitudinal study.

This study aims to investigate the effect of maternal eating disorders (ED) on mother-infant quality of interaction at 8weeks and bonding and child temperament at 1 and 2years postnatally. We also aimed to explore the relationship between maternal ED psychopathology, comorbid psychiatric difficulties, and both mother-infant quality of interaction and bonding in women with ED. Women were recruited to a prospective longitudinal study. By the time of giving birth, the sample consisted of 101 women of the initial 137 (73.7%). Overall, 62 women (ED=36; HC=26) participated in the 8-week assessment, 42 (ED=20; HC=22) at 1year, and 78 (ED=34; HC=44) at 2years. Mann-Whitney U Test was used to explore association between maternal ED and mother-infant quality of interaction and between maternal ED and bonding. Spearman correlations were used to explore associations between maternal ED psychopathology, comorbid psychiatric difficulties, and both mother-infant quality of interaction and bonding. We found no differences between early mother-infant interaction and bonding in mothers with ED in comparison to HC. High levels of maternal ED psychopathology were correlated with high anxiety levels, higher negative affectivity, and lower extraversion in children of ED mothers both at 1 and 2years. Furthermore, high levels of ED psychopathology were also associated with lower effortful control at 1year. Findings imply that maternal ED have an impact on child temperament. Future research should focus on resilience and on which protective factors might lead to positive outcomes. These factors can be then used as therapeutic and preventative targets.

Inhibitory deficits and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: How are they related to effortful control?

Separate studies with clinical and community-based samples have identified an association between symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and inhibitory control deficits and ADHD and weak effortful control. We tested whether differences in effortful control explained the associations between ADHD symptoms and inhibitory control deficits, controlling for conduct problems. In a community sample, parents rated ADHD symptoms, conduct problems, effortful control, surgency and negative affect in 77 4-7-year-olds (47 girls), who performed an inhibitory control task. ADHD symptoms, deficient inhibitory control and low effortful control were correlated. Controlling for conduct problems, path analysis showed the ADHD symptoms - inhibitory control link was mediated statistically by effortful control. This focuses attention on cognitive-energetic factors associated with ADHD-related executive deficits.

Prevalence of engagement and frequency of non-suicidal self-injury behaviors in adolescence: an investigation of the longitudinal course and the role of temperamental effortful control

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is among the most frequent maladaptive behaviors reported in adolescence, with prevalence rates around 18–22% in community samples worldwide. The onset of NSSI typically occurs between early and middle adolescence, with a peak during middle adolescence (14–15 years) and a subsequent decline during late adolescence. This study investigated the growth curves of NSSI across four years during adolescence, analyzing simultaneously the probability of engagement in NSSI at least once (i.e., prevalence) and the frequency of engagement once initiated (i.e., severity). Furthermore, the study examined the predicting role of effortful control on NSSI over time (time-varying effects), net of other key risk factors for NSSI, such as anxiety-depression and bullying victimization. A sample of 430 Italian adolescents enrolled in Grade 9 at baseline was involved in the study. Based on the Latent Growth Curve Zero-inflated Poisson methodology, the results indicated a negative quadratic trend of both NSSI prevalence, with an increase between T1 and T3 followed by a decrease in the subsequent wave, and NSSI frequency once initiated, with a peak at T2 followed by a decline over time. The results also showed that adolescents who reported low effortful control abilities had a heightened probability of involvement in NSSI at each time point, whereas no significant association was found with NSSI frequency once initiated. Findings from this study offer important insights into the developmental course of NSSI and point out the need for future in-depth investigations of the mechanisms that might underlie NSSI prevalence and severity throughout adolescence.

More to the story than executive function: Effortful control soon after injury predicts long-term functional and social outcomes following pediatric traumatic brain injury in young children.

To examine the impact of early traumatic brain injury (TBI) on effortful control (EC) over time and the relationship of EC and executive functioning (EF) to long-term functional and social outcomes. Parents of children (N = 206, ages 3-7) with moderate-to-severe TBI or orthopedic injuries (OIs) rated EC using the Child Behavior Questionnaire at 1 (pre-injury), 6, 12, and 18 months post-injury. Child functioning and social competence were assessed at 7 years post-injury. Mixed models examined the effects of injury, time since injury, and their interaction on EC. General linear models examined the associations of pre-injury EC and EC at 18 months with long-term functional and social outcomes. Models controlled for EF to assess the unique contribution of EC to outcomes. Children with severe TBI had significantly lower EC than both the OI and moderate TBI groups at each post-injury time point. Both pre-injury and 18-month EC were associated with long-term outcomes. Among those with low EC at baseline, children with moderate and severe TBI had more functional impairment than those with OI; however, no group differences were noted at high levels of EC. EC had main effects on parent-reported social competence that did not vary by injury type. Findings suggest that EC is sensitive to TBI effects and is a unique predictor of functional outcomes, independent of EF. High EC could serve as a protective factor, and as such measures of EC could be used to identify children for more intensive intervention.