The kids are bored: Trait boredom in early childhood and links to self-regulation, coping strategies, and parent-child interactions

Boredom is a negative emotion that most people experience on occasion. However, some people experience boredom more or are unable to tolerate it, which is called trait boredom. Trait boredom has been well-studied in adolescence and adulthood, but little is known about trait boredom in childhood. The main goal of this study was to measure trait boredom in 4- to 6-year-olds (N = 130) and to test whether it relates to self-regulatory processes in a similar fashion that has been observed in adults and identify strategies children use to cope with boredom. We found boredom in childhood was related to self-regulatory processes in a similar fashion as it does in adults, and most children used social stimulation strategies (e.g., asking to play with a parent) or behavioral strategies (e.g., playing with toys) to cope with boredom. The findings are discussed within the context of prevention and the emotion regulation and boredom literature.

Sleep disturbance and internalizing symptoms in adolescents: a moderated mediation model of self-control and mindfulness

OBJECTIVES

Despite accumulating evidence regarding the impact of sleep disturbance on internalizing symptoms among adolescents, the underlying psychological mechanisms remain inadequately explored. This study aimed to investigate a conceptual framework elucidating how sleep disturbance influences internalizing symptoms in adolescents through the mediating role of self-control, with mindfulness as a moderator.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 1876 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.88 years, SD = 1.47 years, range = 12-19 years, 44.7% boys) completed the Youth Self-Rating Insomnia Scale (YSIS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Brief Self-control Scale (BSCS), and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale-Children (MAAS-C) to provide data on sleep-related variables, internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression), self-control, and mindfulness, respectively. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was applied to perform moderated mediation analysis.

RESULTS

Sleep disturbance demonstrated a significant positive correlation with internalizing symptoms in adolescents, including anxiety (β = 0.481, p < 0.001) and depression (β = 0.543, p < 0.001). Self-control served as a mediator between sleep disturbance and two forms of internalizing symptoms. Moreover, mindfulness moderated the pathways from self-control to internalizing symptoms (for anxiety symptoms: β = 0.007, p < 0.001; for depression symptoms: β = 0.006, p < 0.001), and the mediating relationships were weaker for adolescents exhibiting higher levels of mindfulness.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings enhance understanding of the impact, pathways, and influencing factors of sleep disturbance on adolescent internalizing symptoms, suggesting the importance of enhancing mindfulness levels in addressing self-control deficits and subsequently reducing internalizing symptoms among adolescents.

Attachment Orientations: Associations with Romantic Partners' Self-Regulation and Dyadic Coping

The ability to effectively cope with stress is impacted by early relationship experiences and, thus, is related to attachment security. We examined how different forms of attachment insecurity (namely, attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) impact romantic partners' capacity for coping with stress individually (via self-regulation) and together (via dyadic coping) in a community sample of 261 heterosexual couples. We also explored links between these coping strategies and measures of well-being. Multiple regression analyses in this cross-sectional, self-report study indicated that attachment avoidance, but not anxiety, was linked to less effective dyadic coping. In men, this was also the case for partner's attachment avoidance. Attachment anxiety, but not avoidance, was related to self-regulation problems for women, while in men, both facets of attachment insecurity were negatively associated with self-regulation. Individual and dyadic coping strategies each uniquely contributed to individuals' well-being and satisfaction with life. Relationship interventions and counseling processes might benefit from sensitizing clients for biographical influences on their coping strategies.

'It's satisfying but destructive': A qualitative study on the experience of bedtime procrastination in new career starters

BACKGROUND

Bedtime procrastination, the volitional delay of going to bed without any external circumstances causing the delay, is linked to multiple indicators of inadequate sleep. Intervening to reduce bedtime procrastination may be an important avenue to improve sleep outcomes, yet the phenomenon remains poorly understood in populations at risk for bedtime procrastination. New career starters, those who have graduated from tertiary education and started a new full-time job within the past 12 months, may be susceptible to problematic bedtime procrastination and are at an opportune time for a 'fresh start' to change behaviour.

AIMS

The objectives of this study were to understand how bedtime procrastination is experienced and perceived by new career starters, to identify the enablers and barriers to behaviour change in new career starters and to explore themes for future interventions.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 28 participants.

RESULTS

Inductive thematic analysis was used to find seven themes: (1) negative feelings before and during bedtime procrastination; (2) wanting to versus knowing I shouldn't; (3) difficulty falling asleep; (4) influence of automatic processes; (5) consequences of bedtime procrastination; (6) lack of self-control and (7) technology captures late-night attention. Participants emphasised the need for me-time, self-negotiation to continue procrastinating and knowledge of the value of sleep.

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that bedtime procrastination involves both reflective and automatic cognitive processes. Future interventions would benefit from a dual-process approach, using cognitive and behavioural techniques to reduce bedtime procrastination.

Evolution, the Cognitive Sciences, and the Science of Victimization

Despite clear aversion to such labels, one of the most impactful criminological theories is rooted in cognitive science. Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory has been repeatedly tested, replicated relatively well, and has since reached beyond its original scope to explain other important outcomes like victimization. However, the work never viewed itself as part of a larger scientific landscape and resisted the incursion of neuroscience, cognitive science, and evolutionary theory from the start. This missed opportunity contributes to some of the theory's shortcomings. We begin by considering relevant literatures that were originally excluded and then conduct a new analysis examining the cognitive underpinnings of victimization in a high-risk sample of adolescents. We used the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n = 3,444; 48% female; 49% Black, 25% Hispanic) which contained sound measures of self-control and intelligence, as well as four types of adolescent victimization. Self-control was robustly associated with all forms of victimization, whereas intelligence had generally no detectable effect. We discuss how these findings fit into a broader understanding about self-control and victimization.

The Willpower Paradox: Possible and Impossible Conceptions of Self-Control

Self-control denotes the ability to override current desires to render behavior consistent with long-term goals. A key assumption is that self-control is required when short-term desires are transiently stronger (more preferred) than long-term goals and people would yield to temptation without exerting self-control. We argue that this widely shared conception of self-control raises a fundamental yet rarely discussed conceptual paradox: How is it possible that a person most strongly desires to perform a behavior (e.g., eat chocolate) and at the same time desires to recruit self-control to prevent themselves from doing it? A detailed analysis reveals that three common assumptions about self-control cannot be true simultaneously. To avoid the paradox, any coherent theory of self-control must abandon either the assumption (a) that recruitment of self-control is an intentional process, or (b) that humans are unitary agents, or (c) that self-control consists in overriding the currently strongest desire. We propose a taxonomy of different kinds of self-control processes that helps organize current theories according to which of these assumptions they abandon. We conclude by outlining unresolved questions and future research perspectives raised by different conceptions of self-control and discuss implications for the question of whether self-control can be considered rational.

Measurement and Functional Equivalence of a Reduced Version of the UPPS Impulsivity Scale Among Hispanic, Non-Hispanic Black, and Non-Hispanic White Adolescents

The current study aimed to assess the measurement equivalence and functional equivalence of the UPPS (Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking) Impulsivity Scale among three ethnoracial adolescent samples in the U.S. seventh-grade students who self-identified as Hispanic (n = 472), non-Hispanic Black (n = 89), or non-Hispanic White (n = 90), and completed an English-language version of the Child version of the UPPS, which was shortened and modified to include positive urgency items. Through a series of confirmatory factor analyses, the UPPS demonstrated configural, metric, and partial threshold invariance. Fisher's r-to-z transformations were used to assess the functional equivalence of the UPPS against well-validated measures of self-regulation and mental health commonly associated with impulsivity. We found some group differences in the magnitude of associations. Yet, overall, this study provides evidence that the UPPS can be used to measure distinct factors of impulsivity among Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White adolescents.

The association between future self-continuity and problematic mobile video gaming among Chinese college students: the serial mediation of consideration of future consequences and state self-control capacity

BACKGROUND

To explore the relationship between future self-continuity and problematic mobile video gaming among Chinese college students and to examine the serial mediation of consideration of future consequences and state self-control capacity on the association between future self-continuity and problematic mobile video gaming, based on Identity-Based Motivation Theory.

METHODS

The Problematic Mobile Video Gaming Scale, Future Self-continuity Scale, Consideration of Future Consequences Scale, and Short Version of State Self-control Capacity Scale were administered to a sample comprising 800 college students (338 males accounting for 42.3%). Multivariate analysis and latent variables analysis were utilized to explore the separate mediating role consideration of future consequences and state self-control capacity played in the association between future self-continuity and problematic mobile video gaming, and their serial mediation also was investigated. The Bootstrap method was employed to test the significance of these mediation effects.

RESULTS

The negative association between future self-continuity and problematic mobile video gaming was moderately found. Students with increased consideration of future consequences from higher levels of future self-continuity have decreased their problematic mobile video gaming. Future self-continuity significantly positively predicted state self-control capacity, which in turn significantly negatively predicted problematic mobile video gaming. The serial mediation was also found.

CONCLUSION

The findings revealed why differences in identification with the current and future selves become influencing factors in problematic mobile video gaming. This study observed the mediating role that consideration of future consequences and state self-control capacity play in the association between future self-continuity and problematic mobile video gaming.

Self-control, limited willpower and decision fatigue in healthcare settings

We argue that willpower as well as its depletion may, in some circumstances, adversely impact on clinical decision-making and patient care. This psychological phenomenon has been dubbed ego depletion in social psychology. Willpower and its depletion which is known as 'ego depletion' are well-established and validated theoretical constructs in social psychology and have been studied across a range of experimental contexts. Willpower is closely related to the concept of self-control, which refers to the ability to regulate one's own behaviour and actions in order to pursue and achieve either a short- or long-term goal. We outline the clinical relevance of willpower and its depletion in relation to clinical case examples drawn from three of the authors' clinical experience with the view of developing a clinical-research agenda for future research studies. We examine willpower and its depletion in the context of three clinical case examples, which include (i) doctor-patient interactions, (ii) willpower and its depletion in relation to challenging interpersonal interactions with clinical and non-clinical work colleagues and (iii) willpower and its depletion in response to working within a challenging and unpredictable clinical environment. In contrast to the more widely recognised external resources (including space, staff allocations and night shifts), a greater understanding of how this important but under-recognised internal resource can be depleted in response to a range of different factors within clinical settings has the potential to inform and improve patient care through a renewed focus on the developing interdisciplinary clinical studies which draw upon contemporary findings from social psychology. Future work aimed at developing evidence-based interventions to help mitigate the negative impact of impaired self-control and decision fatigue within healthcare systems may in turn lead to improved patient care as well as more effective healthcare service and delivery.

Understanding the Associations Among Perceived Stress, Self-Control Skills, and Overeating in Asian Adolescents

OBJECTIVE

Built on Rosenbaum's self-control theory, this study aimed to examine the mediating role of self-control skills in the relationship between perceived stress and overeating patterns among adolescents from an Asia-Pacific region.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was used with a school-based, nonclinical sample of 195 adolescents. Participants completed self-report measures assessing study variables and demographic information such as body mass index (BMI) status for adolescents and their parents. Mediation analyses were conducted with Hayes' PROCESS macro modeling tool to assess self-control skills as the mediator of the relationships between perceived stress and each overeating pattern based on the regression-based bootstrapping method, adjusting for potential covariates.

RESULTS

The prevalence of overweight and obesity was approximately 18% in the current sample of adolescents. While controlling for age, sex, and standardized BMI, self-control skills mediated the effects of stress on emotional and external eating, but not on restrained eating; in addition, self-control skills partially mediated the relationship between perceived stress and an overall overeating tendency.

CONCLUSION

Consistent with Rosenbaum's self-control theory, self-control skills were found to mediate the relationship between perceived stress and emotional and external eating. This study highlights the importance of prevention treatments developed to impart adolescents with self-control skills, decrease their perceived stress, and consequently, reduce their overeating patterns during this intense developmental period.

The influence of family cohesion on self-regulation and anxiety problems among African American emerging adults

Although African Americans have lower rates of anxiety in childhood than other racial and ethnic minority groups, they seem to experience escalating rates during emerging adulthood. Despite this, few studies have examined factors associated with anxiety during emerging adulthood among African American populations. The current study investigated the extent to which late adolescent family relationships affect anxiety problems among African American emerging adults. Informed by family development theory, family cohesion was hypothesized to indirectly effect anxiety problems through self-regulation. This model was tested with three waves of data (ages 17, 19, 21) from African Americans participating in the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study. Study findings were consistent with the hypothesized model: family cohesion forecasted decreased anxiety problems, indirectly, via increased self-regulation. This finding suggests that families may be an important promotive process for anxiety problems during emerging adulthood. Prevention programs that target family processes may be able to reduce anxiety problems in emerging adult African Americans.

Predictors of school students' leisure-time physical activity: An extended trans-contextual model using Bayesian path analysis

The present study aimed to examine effects of motivational and social cognition constructs on children’s leisure-time physical activity participation alongside constructs representing implicit processes using an extended trans-contextual model. The study adopted a correlational prospective design. Secondary-school students (N = 502) completed self-report measures of perceived autonomy support from physical education (PE) teachers, autonomous motivation in PE and leisure-time contexts, and social cognition constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control), intentions, trait self-control, habits, and past behavior in a leisure-time physical activity context. Five weeks later, students (N = 298) self-reported their leisure-time physical activity participation. Bayesian path analyses supported two key premises of the model: perceived autonomy support was related to autonomous motivation in PE, and autonomous motivation in PE was related to autonomous motivation in leisure time. Indirect effects indicated that both forms of autonomous motivation were related to social cognition constructs and intentions. However, intention was not related to leisure-time physical activity participation, so model variables reflecting motivational processes did not account for substantive variance in physical activity participation. Self-control, attitudes, and past behavior were direct predictors of intentions and leisure-time physical activity participation. There were indirect effects of autonomous motivation in leisure time on intentions and physical activity participation mediated by self-control. Specifying informative priors for key model relations using Bayesian analysis yielded greater precision for some model effects. Findings raise some questions on the predictive validity of constructs from the original trans-contextual model in the current sample, but highlight the value of extending the model to incorporate additional constructs representing non-conscious processes.

Detours increase local knowledge-Exploring the hidden benefits of self-control failure

Self-control enables people to override momentary thoughts, emotions, or impulses in order to pursue long-term goals. Good self-control is a predictor for health, success, and subjective well-being, as bad self-control is for the opposite. Therefore, the question arises why evolution has not endowed us with perfect self-control. In this article, we draw some attention to the hidden benefits of self-control failure and present a new experimental paradigm that captures both costs and benefits of self-control failure. In an experiment, participants worked on three consecutive tasks: 1) In a transcription task, we manipulated how much effortful self-control two groups of participants had to exert. 2) In a number-comparison task, participants of both groups were asked to compare numbers and ignore distracting neutral versus reward-related pictures. 3) After a pause for recreation, participants were confronted with an unannounced recognition task measuring whether they had incidentally encoded the distracting pictures during the previous number-comparison task. The results showed that participants who exerted a high amount of effortful self-control during the first task shifted their priorities and attention toward the distractors during the second self-control demanding task: The cost of self-control failure was reflected in worse performance in the number-comparison task. Moreover, the group which had exerted a high amount of self-control during the first task and showed self-control failure during the second task was better in the unannounced third task. The benefit of self-control failure during number comparison was reflected in better performance during the recognition task. However, costs and benefits were not specific for reward-related distractors but also occurred with neutral pictures. We propose that the hidden benefit of self-control failure lies in the exploration of distractors present during goal pursuit, i.e. the collection of information about the environment and the potential discovery of new sources of reward. Detours increase local knowledge.

The role of self-esteem, optimism, deliberative thinking and self-control in shaping the financial behavior and financial well-being of young adults

The sustainable financial behavior and financial well-being have been a key concern among the developing societies; thereby encompassing the various psychological factors which play a role in influencing individual's positive financial behavior and financial well-being, this study is conducted. Research focusing on the psychological aspect of human financial behavior and well-being is scarce, focusing more on the cognitive side such as financial literacy and numeracy. The aim of this research study is to find the role played by the non-cognitive factors such as self-esteem, self-control, optimism and deliberative thinking, in forming the financial behavior and financial well-being of the young adults. A sample of 429 university students from public and private sector was collected via an online and field survey using purposive sampling technique. The survey contained measures for demographics, self-esteem, optimism, deliberative thinking, self-control, general financial behavior and financial well-being. SPSS and PLS-SEM tools were used for the exploration of the relationships among dependent and independent variables. The results of PLS path analysis demonstrate that among the non-cognitive factors, self-control and deliberative thinking show a significant association with both financial behavior, and financial security. Self-esteem plays no significant role in forming the financial behavior of the young adults when all the variables are taken together but it exhibits a significant association with financial well-being (financial security and financial anxiety). Optimism on the other hand exhibits no significant association with both financial behavior and financial well-being (financial security and financial anxiety). The results of this study complement the previous studies and also put forth new outcomes. This research is unique as it is the first of its kind conducted in a consumption-oriented economy like Pakistan. In addition to the previous studies which have often established the link of self-esteem with general well-being, this study goes further by analyzing the association between self-esteem and financial well-being and by the identification of the role played by non-cognitive factors like self-esteem, optimism, deliberative thinking and self-control together on the financial behavior and financial well-being of the individuals using PLS-SEM approach.

Exploring the Predictive Value of Gambling Motives, Cognitive Distortions, and Materialism on Problem Gambling Severity in Adolescents and Young Adults

Gambling motives and cognitive distortions are thought to be associated because both coping and financial motives to gamble appear to be predictors of gambling related cognitive distortions. Therefore, there is an argument to be made that gambling motives, cognitive distortions, and materialism share common attributes and might be related to problem gambling severity. The present paper aims to examine the relationship between these three variables, both in a clinical and community setting, to see if they can predict gambling severity. A sample of 250 participants from the general population and 31 participants from the clinical population was recruited. The results showed that the clinical sample scored higher on gambling severity, cognitive distortions, materialism, and gambling motives. It also showed that low scores in enhancement motives and higher scores in social motives and gambling related cognitions predicted gambling severity in older gamblers, whereas for younger patients, gambling severity was best predicted by higher scores in materialism and coping motives, and lower scores for enhancement and social motives. In the community sample, gambling severity correlated with gambling related cognitive distortions and with gambling motives (except for social and coping motives within the women subsample). These results testify to the importance of materialism, cognitive distortions, and gambling motives as risk factors for problem gambling both in community and clinical samples.

Addictive use of digital devices in young children: Associations with delay discounting, self-control and academic performance

The use of smartphones, tablets and laptops/PCs has become ingrained in adults’ and increasingly in children’s lives, which has sparked a debate about the risk of addiction to digital devices. Previous research has linked specific use of digital devices (e.g. online gaming, smartphone screen time) with impulsive behavior in the context of intertemporal choice among adolescents and adults. However, not much is known about children’s addictive behavior towards digital devices and its relationship to personality factors and academic performance. This study investigated the associations between addictive use of digital devices, self-reported usage duration, delay discounting, self-control and academic success in children aged 10 to 13. Addictive use of digital devices was positively related to delay discounting, but self-control confounded the relationship between the two variables. Furthermore, self-control and self-reported usage duration but not the degree of addictive use predicted the most recent grade average. These findings indicate that children’s problematic behavior towards digital devices compares to other maladaptive behaviors (e.g. substance abuse, pathological gambling) in terms of impulsive choice and point towards the key role self-control seems to play in lowering a potential risk of digital addiction.

Investigation of the associations between physical activity, self-regulation and educational outcomes in childhood

It is common knowledge that physical activity leads to physiological and psychological benefits. The current study explored the association between physical activity and self-regulation longitudinally and the indirect relationship this may have on academic achievement, using secondary data on primary and secondary school children from the Millennium Cohort Study, a cohort of infants born in 2000–2001 in the United Kingdom. There are two main findings. First, there is a positive link between physical activity and emotional (not behavioural) regulation both concurrently and longitudinally across all three time points, 7-years-old, 11-years-old and 14-years-old. The relationship was negative for emotional regulation and negligible for behavioural regulation when controlling for socioeconomic status. Second, across two time points (due to data availability), physical activity positively predicted academic achievement through emotional regulation for 7-year-olds and behavioural regulation in 11-year-olds. The impact of this relationship was more pronounced when controlling for socioeconomic status. Together these findings indicate that emotional regulation is linked to physical activity in early childhood. Subsequently, emotion regulation predicts academic attainment, suggesting that early interventions might focus on attention rather than behaviour.

The effect of ego depletion on challenge and threat evaluations during a potentially stressful public speaking task

It has been well established that challenge and threat evaluations affect the performance of potentially stressful tasks. However, the factors that influence these evaluations have rarely been examined. Objective: This study examined the effects of ego depletion on challenge and threat evaluations during a public speaking task. Method: 262 participants (150 males, 112 females; M_age = 20.5, SD = 4.3) were randomly assigned to either an ego depletion or control group. Participants then completed self-report measures of trait self-control. The ego depletion group performed a written transcription task requiring self-control, while the control group transcribed the text normally. Before the public speaking task, participant's challenge and threat evaluations and subjective ratings of performance were assessed via self-report items. Results: The results of independent t-tests supported the effectiveness of the self-control manipulation. There were no significant differences between the ego depletion and control groups in terms of challenge and threat evaluations or subjective performance. Additional correlation analyses revealed that trait measures of self-control were significantly and negatively related to challenge and threat evaluations and subjective performance. Conclusion: Findings suggest that ego depletion might not influence appraisals of potentially stressful tasks, and thus add to recent evidence questioning the ego-depletion phenomenon.

The cognitive and perceptual correlates of ideological attitudes: a data-driven approach

Although human existence is enveloped by ideologies, remarkably little is understood about the relationships between ideological attitudes and psychological traits. Even less is known about how cognitive dispositions-individual differences in how information is perceived and processed- sculpt individuals' ideological worldviews, proclivities for extremist beliefs and resistance (or receptivity) to evidence. Using an unprecedented number of cognitive tasks (n = 37) and personality surveys (n = 22), along with data-driven analyses including drift-diffusion and Bayesian modelling, we uncovered the specific psychological signatures of political, nationalistic, religious and dogmatic beliefs. Cognitive and personality assessments consistently outperformed demographic predictors in accounting for individual differences in ideological preferences by 4 to 15-fold. Furthermore, data-driven analyses revealed that individuals' ideological attitudes mirrored their cognitive decision-making strategies. Conservatism and nationalism were related to greater caution in perceptual decision-making tasks and to reduced strategic information processing, while dogmatism was associated with slower evidence accumulation and impulsive tendencies. Religiosity was implicated in heightened agreeableness and risk perception. Extreme pro-group attitudes, including violence endorsement against outgroups, were linked to poorer working memory, slower perceptual strategies, and tendencies towards impulsivity and sensation-seeking-reflecting overlaps with the psychological profiles of conservatism and dogmatism. Cognitive and personality signatures were also generated for ideologies such as authoritarianism, system justification, social dominance orientation, patriotism and receptivity to evidence or alternative viewpoints; elucidating their underpinnings and highlighting avenues for future research. Together these findings suggest that ideological worldviews may be reflective of low-level perceptual and cognitive functions. This article is part of the theme issue 'The political brain: neurocognitive and computational mechanisms'.

Associations between COVID-19 perceptions, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among adults living in the United States

BACKGROUND

Associations among illness perceptions of viruses, anxiety and depression symptoms, and self-management decisions, such as mask-wearing, are critical to informing public health practices to mitigate the short- and long-term consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 viral pandemic.

PURPOSE

Guided by the common-sense model of self-regulation, this observational study examined associations among illness perceptions of COVID-19, anxiety, and depression symptoms among community-dwelling adults.

METHOD

Data were collected from 1380 adults living in the United States early in the pandemic (03-23-2020 to 06-02-2020). Participants completed online surveys. Analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics and correlations.

FINDINGS

While increased anxiety symptoms were associated with less perceived personal control, greater concern, and higher emotional responsiveness, increased depression symptoms were related to lower concern as well as greater emotional responsiveness and perceived consequences of the pandemic.

DISCUSSION

Associations among illness perceptions, anxiety, and depression symptoms may impact viral spread mitigation behavior adoption.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Conduct Problems: The Role of Self-Control Demands

We tested within- and between-person effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on conduct problems and alcohol intoxication via self-control demands using multilevel structural equation modeling in a longitudinal burst-design study of 251 U.S. veterans who participated in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We theorized that experiencing PTSD symptoms engenders efforts to regulate mood, control thoughts, and inhibit or control behavior that is taxing to the individual (i.e., it places demands on self-control) and hypothesized that this process results in subsequent deficits in regulatory control that manifest in heightened intoxication and conduct problems associated with PTSD. At the within-person level, daytime PTSD symptoms, IRR = 1.09, and self-control demands, IRR = 1.12, exhibited within-person associations with nighttime conduct problems over and above nighttime intoxication. Consistent with our hypothesis, daytime increases in self-control demands mediated the associations between daytime PTSD symptoms and subsequent nighttime conduct problems. The indirect effect between daytime PTSD symptoms and nighttime intoxication via self-control demands was nonsignificant. At the between-person level, self-control demands mediated the associations between PTSD symptoms and conduct problems; however, the expected between-person associations with intoxication were nonsignificant. Drinking behavior is related to but cannot fully account for various difficulties in psychosocial functioning associated with PTSD. The present results suggest that dysregulated behavior may, ironically, stem from individuals' concerted efforts to control and manage overwhelming symptoms. Self-control demands may be a common factor that accounts for a broad range of functional impairments associated with PTSD.

The role of parental self-regulation and household chaos in parent-toddler interactions: A time-series study

Various studies have reported that parental self-regulation is inversely related to negative parenting practices, especially in relatively calm households. These studies have focused on general tendencies of parents over longer periods of time. In the current time-series study, we extended previous work by focusing on the moment-to-moment processes in parent-child interactions that may explain associations between parental self-regulation, household chaos, and negative parenting practices. In a sample of 62 parent-toddler dyads (83.87% mothers), we tested whether observed contingent negative responses to child noncompliance (i.e., reactive negative parenting) could be predicted by the interaction between parental self-regulation and household chaos. Additionally, we examined whether two indicators of parental self-regulation, self-reported effortful control and task-based executive functioning, had similar associations with reactive negative parenting. Reactive negative parenting was assessed during clean up and was calculated as parents' propensity to show negative parenting practices immediately after their child showed noncompliance. We found that lower parental self-regulation predicted more reactive negative parenting practices in moderately chaotic households. Associations were similar regardless of whether self-regulation was operationalized as effortful control or executive functioning. The findings demonstrate that less regulated parents may benefit from a home situation that is tidy, calm, and characterized by routine in order to remain neutral in situations in which their toddler is noncompliant. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Medical Student Progress Examination Performance and Its Relationship With Metacognition, Critical Thinking, and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies

PURPOSE

Metacognition and critical thinking are essential for academic success. The relationship between these components and medical student learning, as assessed with progress examinations, informs curriculum development and efforts to ensure learning progression of all students. This study assessed learning mechanisms by modeling medical students' progress test performance longitudinally at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

METHOD

Medical students' (n = 184) medical knowledge was assessed 5 times from fall 2017 through spring 2019 using the Comprehensive Basic Science Examination (CBSE). Structural equation modeling was conducted to investigate associations between 3 latent structures-metacognitive awareness, critical thinking, and self-regulation-and their relationship with students' initial CBSE scores and growth in such scores. The authors measured metacognitive knowledge and regulation by the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, critical thinking skills by the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, and self-regulation by the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory.

RESULTS

Students' aggregate performance on 5 CBSE scores grew 31.0% the first semester, 16.5% the second semester, 30.1% the third semester, and 22.4% the last semester. Critical thinking had a significant positive relationship with initial performance (JOURNAL/acmed/04.03/00001888-202102000-00048/inline-graphic1/v/2021-01-22T214722Z/r/image-tiff1.956, P < .001), self-regulation had a significant positive relationship with growth (JOURNAL/acmed/04.03/00001888-202102000-00048/inline-graphic2/v/2021-01-22T214722Z/r/image-tiff3.287, P < .05), and metacognitive awareness had a negative relationship with growth of student performance in the progress test (JOURNAL/acmed/04.03/00001888-202102000-00048/inline-graphic3/v/2021-01-22T214722Z/r/image-tiff-3.426, P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

This structural equation framework is useful for examining the relationships among 3 latent structures-critical thinking, metacognition, and self-regulation-and their relationships with students' progress scores in academic achievement. The initial status of progress examination scores was explained by students' critical thinking ability, but their learning growth on the progress scores was explained by their self-regulation and metacognitive ability. These findings help explain student performance on standardized progress examinations and can aid in interventions to promote student success.

The Pornography "Rebooting" Experience: A Qualitative Analysis of Abstinence Journals on an Online Pornography Abstinence Forum

A growing number of individuals using online forums are attempting to abstain from pornography (colloquially termed "rebooting") due to self-perceived pornography-related problems. The present qualitative study explored phenomenological experiences of abstinence among members of an online "rebooting" forum. A total of 104 abstinence journals by male forum members were systematically analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of four themes (with a total of nine subthemes) emerged from the data: (1) abstinence is the solution to pornography-related problems, (2) sometimes abstinence seems impossible, (3) abstinence is achievable with the right resources, and (4) abstinence is rewarding if persisted with. Members' primary reasons for initiating "rebooting" involved desiring to overcome a perceived addiction to pornography and/or alleviate perceived negative consequences attributed to pornography use, especially sexual difficulties. Successfully achieving and maintaining abstinence was typically experienced to be very challenging due to habitual behavior patterns and/or cravings triggered by a multiplicity of cues for pornography use, but a combination of internal (e.g., cognitive-behavioral strategies) and external (e.g., social support) resources made abstinence attainable for many members. A range of benefits attributed to abstinence by members suggest that abstaining from pornography could potentially be a beneficial intervention for problematic pornography use, although future prospective studies are needed to rule out possible third variable explanations for these perceived effects and to rigorously evaluate abstinence as an intervention. The present findings shed light on what the "rebooting" experience is like from members' own perspectives and provide insights into abstinence as an approach for addressing problematic pornography use.

Childhood self-control forecasts the pace of midlife aging and preparedness for old age

The ability to control one's own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in early life predicts a range of positive outcomes in later life, including longevity. Does it also predict how well people age? We studied the association between self-control and midlife aging in a population-representative cohort of children followed from birth to age 45 y, the Dunedin Study. We measured children's self-control across their first decade of life using a multi-occasion/multi-informant strategy. We measured their pace of aging and aging preparedness in midlife using measures derived from biological and physiological assessments, structural brain-imaging scans, observer ratings, self-reports, informant reports, and administrative records. As adults, children with better self-control aged more slowly in their bodies and showed fewer signs of aging in their brains. By midlife, these children were also better equipped to manage a range of later-life health, financial, and social demands. Associations with children's self-control could be separated from their social class origins and intelligence, indicating that self-control might be an active ingredient in healthy aging. Children also shifted naturally in their level of self-control across adult life, suggesting the possibility that self-control may be a malleable target for intervention. Furthermore, individuals' self-control in adulthood was associated with their aging outcomes after accounting for their self-control in childhood, indicating that midlife might offer another window of opportunity to promote healthy aging.

Self-Control, External Environment, and Delinquency: A Test of Self-Control Theory in Rural China

Although self-control consistently emerges as one of the most robust correlates of delinquent behavior, limited empirical attempts have been made to explore the contextual variability of the relationship between self-control and delinquency outside of Western societies. Using data collected from 587 seventh- to ninth-grade students across 10 middle schools in a rural county of Southeast China, we examine self-control's efficacy in explaining juvenile delinquency in the presence of external environmental factors, and investigate relative strength of self-control and contextual factors in predicting delinquent behaviors. Our results confirm that self-control is an important predictor of delinquent behavior in a non-Western cultural context. However, certain environmental factors rooted in family, school, and peer groups are also shown to be the predictors of delinquent behavior where strength seems to exceed that of self-control. These findings shed more nuanced insights on the nexus between self-control, external situations, and delinquency, and in a broader sense, contribute to the elaboration of a more comprehensive understanding of self-control theory.

Pilot Intervention Enhances Preschoolers' Self-Regulation and Food Liking

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a 5-week intervention that targeted self-regulation and healthy food liking through mindfulness and classroom-based games with exposure to fruits and vegetables.

METHODS

Children (mean age, 3.6 ± 0.05 years) in 1 Head Start center received the classroom-based intervention (n = 24) and children in a second did not (n = 15). Assessments of self-regulation and liking of fruits and vegetables were administered pre- and postintervention.

RESULTS

Children in the intervention, but not the comparison group, experienced significant improvements in behavioral regulation (P = 0.003) and liking of fruits and vegetables (P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

This study lays a foundation for future research that replicates findings with a larger sample using a randomized controlled design, incorporates more typical mindful eating practices, and includes additional, broader measures of food liking.

The dynamics of self-control: within-participant modeling of binary food choices and underlying decision processes as a function of restrained eating

Successful self-control during food choice might require inhibition of impulses to avoid indulging in tempting but calorie-dense foods, and this might particularly apply to individuals restraining their food intake. Adopting a novel within-participant modeling approach, we tested 62 females during a mouse-tracking based binary food choice task. Subsequent ratings of foods on palatability, healthiness, and calorie density were modeled as predictors for both decision outcome (choice) and decision process (measures of self-control conflict) while considering the moderating role of restrained eating. Results revealed that individuals higher on restrained eating were less likely to choose more high-calorie foods and showed less self-control conflict when choosing healthier foods. The latter finding is in contrast with the common assumption of self-control as requiring effortful and conscious inhibition of temptation impulses. Interestingly, restrained eaters rated healthy and low-calorie foods as more palatable than individuals with lower restrained eating scores, both in the main experiment and an independent replication study, hinting at an automatic and rather effortless mechanism of self-control (palatability shift) that obviates effortful inhibition of temptation impulses.

Self-Control Moderates the Association Between Perceived Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mental Health Problems Among the Chinese Public

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused thousands of deaths in China. Prior research suggests that individuals' perceived severity of COVID-19 is related to a range of negative emotional and behavioral reactions among the Chinese public. However, scant research has examined the underlying mechanisms. Drawing upon the risk-resilience model, this study proposes that self-control, as a resilient factor, would potentially moderate the association between perceived severity of COVID-19 and mental health problems. Data from a national survey was used to examine this idea. Participants were 4607 citizens from 31 regions in China (Mage = 23.71 years, 72.5% female) who completed a national survey at the beginning of February 2020. Results of hierarchical regression showed that after controlling for a number of demographic variables, perceived severity of COVID-19 and self-control were positively and negatively related to mental health problems, respectively. More importantly, self-control moderated the "perceived severity of COVID-19-mental health problems" association, with this link attenuating as the levels of self-control increased. These findings suggest that compared to those with high self-control, individuals with low self-control are more vulnerable and are more in need of psychological aids to maintain mental health in the encounter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Practically, enhancing individuals' self-control ability might be a promising way to improve individuals' mental health during the early period of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Self-Control Moderates the Association Between Perceived Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mental Health Problems Among the Chinese Public

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused thousands of deaths in China. Prior research suggests that individuals' perceived severity of COVID-19 is related to a range of negative emotional and behavioral reactions among the Chinese public. However, scant research has examined the underlying mechanisms. Drawing upon the risk-resilience model, this study proposes that self-control, as a resilient factor, would potentially moderate the association between perceived severity of COVID-19 and mental health problems. Data from a national survey was used to examine this idea. Participants were 4607 citizens from 31 regions in China (M_age = 23.71 years, 72.5% female) who completed a national survey at the beginning of February 2020. Results of hierarchical regression showed that after controlling for a number of demographic variables, perceived severity of COVID-19 and self-control were positively and negatively related to mental health problems, respectively. More importantly, self-control moderated the "perceived severity of COVID-19-mental health problems" association, with this link attenuating as the levels of self-control increased. These findings suggest that compared to those with high self-control, individuals with low self-control are more vulnerable and are more in need of psychological aids to maintain mental health in the encounter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Practically, enhancing individuals' self-control ability might be a promising way to improve individuals' mental health during the early period of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Validation of survey effort measures of grit and self-control in a sample of high school students

Personality traits such as grit and self-control are important determinants of success in life outcomes. However, most measures of these traits, which rely on self-reports, might be biased when used for the purpose of evaluating education policies or interventions. Recent research has shown the potential of survey effort-in particular, item non-response and careless answering-as a proxy measure of these traits. The current investigation uses a dataset of high school seniors (N = 513) to investigate survey effort measures in relationship with teacher reports, performance task measures, high school academic outcomes, and college attendance. Our results show promise for use of survey effort as proxy measures of grit and self-control.

Attachment, Parenting, and Obesogenic Behavior: A Dyadic Perspective

Pediatric obesity is a growing health concern afflicting the United States. The treatment for pediatric obesity, as a health epidemic, costs billions of dollars to our nation, leaving providers and researchers searching for effective and sustainable ways to better manage the biological, psychological, and social health of individuals and families. While many assessments and interventions continue to emerge, researchers have predominately focused on intra-individual concerns among white non-Hispanic populations. This quantitative study was grounded in a relational theory (attachment theory), with a dyadic and primarily Hispanic sample. Evidence from our study supported that child attachment predicted child obesogenic behavior and that this relationship was mediated by child self-regulation. Children with insecure attachments had more obesogenic behaviors and lower self-regulation of eating than those with secure attachments. Family therapists should be on the frontlines of relational research and clinical interventions that interface with biopsychosocial health across diverse cultures and families.

Neural correlates of sense of agency in motor control: A neuroimaging meta-analysis

The sense of agency (SoA) refers to the perception that an action is the consequence of one’s own intention. Studies exploring the SoA with neuroimaging techniques summarized the available data and confirmed a role of fronto-parietal areas and subcortical structures. However, these studies focused on specific regions of interest. We thus conducted a whole-brain meta-analysis to verify which regions emerge as significant for the SoA, specifically during motor execution. We performed a systematic search on PubMed, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases with the following inclusion criteria: studies investigating SoA with a visuo-motor task by means of neuroimaging in healthy subjects. We performed a quantitative, whole-brain, meta-analysis of neural correlates of the SoA based on the activation likelihood estimation. Of the 785 articles identified by our search, 22 studies met our inclusion criteria (169 foci, 295 subjects for decreased agency, and 58 foci, 165 subjects for normal agency). Neural correlates of decreased agency were the bilateral temporo-parietal junction (MNI: 50,-54,14; -44,-52,42; -48,-56,8). Normal agency showed no significant clusters of activation. This meta-analysis confirmed the key role of areas responsible for decreased SoA during motor control, whereas normal agency did not show a specific neural signature. This study sets the ground for future regions-of-interest analyses of neural correlates of SoA, as well as potential neuromodulation studies, which might be relevant in medical conditions presenting with abnormal SoA.

Combination of a Self-Regulation Module and Mobile Application to Enhance Treatment Outcome for Patients with Acne

Background and Objectives: Acne, an inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit associated with both physiological and psychological morbidities, should be considered a chronic disease. The application of self-regulation theory and therapeutic patient education has been widely utilized in different health-related areas to help patient with a chronic disease to attain better behavioral modification. The present study aims at investigating the treatment efficacy of combining a self-regulation-based patient education module with mobile application in acne patients. Materials and Methods: This was one-grouped pretest-posttest design at a single tertiary referral center with the enrollment of 30 subjects diagnosed with acne vulgaris. Relevant information was collected before (week 0) and after (week 4) treatment in the present study, including the Acne Self-Regulation Inventory (ASRI), Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) that involved a questionnaire-based subjective evaluation of the patient's ability in self-regulation and quality of life as well as clinical Acne Grading Scores (AGS) that objectively assessed changes in disease severity. To reinforce availability and feasibility, an individualized platform was accessible through mobile devices for real-time problem solving between hospital visits. Results: Thirty subjects completed the designed experiment. An analysis of the differences between scores of pretest and posttest of ASRI demonstrated substantial elevations (p < 0.001). The questionnaire survey of CADI and DLQI dropped significantly after the application of a self-regulation-based patient education module with a mobile application, revealing substantial reductions in both parameters (p < 0.001). The sign test demonstrated a remarkably significant difference in AGS (Z = -7.38, p < 0.001), indicating notable improvement in the clinical severity of acne after treatment. Conclusions: After incorporating modern mobile application, a self-regulation-based therapeutic patient education module could significantly improve treatment outcomes among acne patients.

Adversity profiles among court-involved youth: Translating system data into trauma-responsive programming

BACKGROUND

Court-involved youth have high levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which can impact functioning in adolescence and throughout adulthood. Yet there is limited research to help clinicians translate these histories into trauma-responsive programming guidelines.

OBJECTIVE

This manuscript utilizes data that is routinely collected to inform practitioners about how to utilize trauma histories to inform program and practice decisions.

METHODS

This study used administrative data with a diverse sample of medium- to high-risk youth on probation (N = 5,378) to examine how ACE clusters, identified through Latent Class Analysis, evinced differential treatment needs across multiple domains.

RESULTS

Six identified classes - Low All, Parental Incarceration, Parental Health Problems, High Conflict, High Maltreatment, and High All - were assessed for differences in self-regulation, mental health, substance use, academic functioning, family/social resources, and behavioral problems. Classes varied significantly on all assessed domains, indicating differential needs for effective interventions to interrupt negative trajectories.

CONCLUSIONS

Utilizing existing data in a real-world setting and addressing challenges and barriers in real-time can help bring research evidence to practice. In addition to juvenile justice settings, we conclude with discussion of ways that allied community based services in schools, youth programming, and family services can benefit from awareness of these youth adversity profiles.

Self-Determination Theory as a Theoretical Framework for a Responsive Approach to Child Feeding

Supporting positive childhood eating behaviors is a central and ongoing priority for health care providers, encompassing both health outcomes for typical eaters and best practice in relation to pediatric feeding challenges. Building on existing work, this perspective draws on literature from multiple fields to recommend the use of Self-Determination Theory as a framework for responsive feeding. Additionally, it contributes to the definition and conceptualization of responsive feeding. The 3 basic needs proposed by Self-Determination Theory (autonomy, relatedness and competence) have significant implications for both professional practice and the direction of future research.

Effects of parental sensitivity in different contexts on children's hot and cool effortful control

To thrive as an individual and within society, children need to develop the ability to control their behavior. Using a twin design, we estimated the relative influence of genetic, shared, and unique environmental factors on hot and cool effortful control (EC). Furthermore, we investigated whether parental sensitivity in a play, task, or discipline context when the children were on average 3.78 years old, was differentially related to children's hot and cool EC 1 year later (M_age 4.77 years). We included 476 children from 238 twin pairs (48% boys, 58% monozygotic) and their primary parent. Hot EC (delay of gratification) was measured with the marshmallow test and cool EC (response inhibition) was measured with a stop-signal task. The behavioral genetics analyses showed that individual differences in hot and cool EC were mostly explained by unique environmental factors, whereas their association was mostly explained by shared environmental factors. Controlling for sensitivity in the other contexts, task sensitivity contributed to the prediction of cool EC, and sensitive discipline contributed to both cool and hot EC. Play sensitivity did not contribute to the prediction of hot or cool EC over and above parental sensitivity in the other contexts. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the unique and shared antecedents of hot and cool EC, suggesting parental sensitive discipline as a focus for preventive interventions targeting both hot and cool EC. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Automatic and Controlled Processing: Implications for Eating Behavior

It is a widely held view that humans have control over their food choices and consumption. However, research also suggests that eating behavior is often triggered by contextual cues and guided by automaticities and habits. Interestingly, the dichotomy between automatic and controlled processing has recently been challenged, suggesting that they may be intertwined. In a large female sample (n = 567), we investigated the hypothesis that task-based and self-reported measures of automatic and controlled processing would interact and impact self-reported eating behavior. Results analyzed via structural equation modeling suggest that automatic, but not controlled processing, during a modified flanker task, including a context-specific proportion congruent (CSPC) manipulation, was inversely associated with self-reported self-control. The influence of self-control on unhealthy eating behavior (i.e., uncontrolled and emotional eating, heightened consumption of fat and sugar) was only indirect via habitual behavior, which itself had a strong direct impact. Unhealthy eating was further associated with real-life outcomes (e.g., body mass index (BMI)). Our findings suggest that eating behavior may indeed be guided primarily by automaticities and habits, whereas self-control might facilitate this association. Having self-control over eating might therefore be most effective by avoiding contextual cues eliciting undesired automatic behavior and establishing habits that serve long-term goals.

Household food insecurity and early childhood development: Longitudinal evidence from Ghana

The burden of food insecurity is large in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet the evidence-base on the relation between household food insecurity and early child development is extremely limited. Furthermore, available research mostly relies on cross-sectional data, limiting the quality of existing evidence. We use longitudinal data on preschool-aged children and their households in Ghana to investigate how being in a food insecure household was associated with early child development outcomes across three years. Household food insecurity was measured over three years using the Household Hunger Score. Households were first classified as "ever food insecure" if they were food insecure at any round. We also assessed persistence of household food insecurity by classifying households into three categories: (i) never food insecure; (ii) transitory food insecurity, if the household was food insecure only in one wave; and (iii) persistent food insecurity, if the household was food insecure in two or all waves. Child development was assessed across literacy, numeracy, social-emotional, short-term memory, and self-regulation domains. Controlling for baseline values of each respective outcome and child and household characteristics, children from ever food insecure households had lower literacy, numeracy and short-term memory. When we distinguished between transitory and persistent food insecurity, transitory spells of food insecurity predicted decreased numeracy (β = -0.176, 95% CI: -0.317; -0.035), short-term memory (β = -0.237, 95% CI: -0.382; -0.092), and self-regulation (β = -0.154, 95% CI: -0.326; 0.017) compared with children from never food insecure households. By contrast, children residing in persistently food insecure households had lower literacy scores (β = -0.243, 95% CI: -0.496; 0.009). No gender differences were detected. Results were broadly robust to the inclusion of additional controls. This novel evidence from a Sub-Saharan African country highlights the need for multi-sectoral approaches including social protection and nutrition to support early child development.

What happens while waiting? How self-regulation affects boredom and subjective time during a real waiting situation

Boredom is an everyday experience during uneventful situations and while waiting. Such situations are typically described as unpleasant since oneself becomes the focus of awareness, and the subjective duration expands. Self-control is an individual trait that helps to cope with unpleasant situations. Hardly any systematic studies exist on real waiting situations where people's boredom and subjective time experience are assessed in relation to self-control. Therefore, we assessed 99 participants who first filled out self-report questionnaires on emotional and metacognitive control, the Scale for Experiencing Emotions (SEE) and the Temporal Metacognition Scale (TMCS). After giving a fake reason for why they had to wait, participants were shut in an empty room alone for 7.5 minutes and afterwards asked to report their impressions regarding the experienced time and reactions to the situation. Boredom was associated with the feeling of time passing more slowly and more frequent thoughts about time. The propensity to self-regulate was related to less awareness of time and to lower levels of boredom. Mediation analyses revealed that the level of boredom mediates the relationships between self-regulation processes and time perception. The results provide new insights into the association between time perception and boredom as states in a real situation and self-regulation as a trait.

A family-centered prevention ameliorates the associations of low self-control during childhood with employment income and poverty status in young African American adults

OBJECTIVE

Children with low self-control who grow up in poverty are at elevated risk for living in poverty when they are adults. The purpose of this study was to further understanding of the intergenerational continuity of poverty by (a) examining the likelihood that children with low levels of self-control at age 11 earn less employment income and are more likely to live in poverty 14 years later, at age 25; and (b) determining, via a preventive intervention, whether enhancing supportive parenting during childhood will ameliorate these associations.

METHODS

Parents and their 11-year-old children from 381 families participated in the Strong African American Families (SAAF) program or a control condition. Teachers assessed children's self-control at 11 years; parents reported their use of supportive parenting when children were 11 and 13 years; emerging adults provided data on cognitive and emotional self-control at 19, 20, and 21 years; and young adults indicated their employment income at 25 years.

RESULTS

Significant two-way interactions were detected between children's self-control and prevention condition for employment income (b = -183.18, 95% CI [-363.82, -2.53], p < .05) and poverty status (b = 0.257, 95% CI [0.018, 0.497], p < .05). Low self-control at age 11 forecast less employment income and a greater likelihood of living in poverty among children in the control condition, but not among low self-control SAAF participants. Mediated moderation analyses confirmed that enhanced supportive parenting accounted for SAAF's effects on employment income (indirect effect = 63.057, 95% BCA [19.385, 124.748]) and poverty status (indirect effect = -0.071, 95% BCA [-0.165, -0.016]).

CONCLUSIONS

This study is unique in using a randomized controlled trial to show that preventive interventions designed to enhance parenting and strengthen families can buffer the long-term economic consequences of low self-control.

A Dyadic Analysis of the Associations Between Cumulative Childhood Trauma and Psychological Intimate Partner Violence: The Mediating Roles of Negative Urgency and Communication Patterns

Prior research has suggested associations between cumulative childhood trauma (CCT), negative urgency, communication patterns, and psychological intimate partner violence (P-IPV), but no study has examined these links using a dyadic approach. This study examined the sequential mediation of negative urgency and communication patterns in the link uniting CCT and P-IPV in a sample of 501 heterosexual couples. Results suggest that more CCT events are associated with higher levels of negative urgency, which in turn are associated with a higher tendency to endorse a demand/withdraw and/or demand/demand communication pattern, and to perpetrate P-IPV. Findings support the need to assess CCT, emotional self-control, dyadic and communication patterns, and P-IPV perpetration and victimization in couples seeking help in order to select interventions that will take into account the individual and dyadic nature of P-IPV.

Beyond the "self" in self-regulation: Family interaction modulates situational self-control by adolescent drug users

Prevailing views of adolescent self-regulation (ASR) as a relatively stable disposition or skill that an individual possesses in various degrees stand in contrast to a complementary, situational perspective from family systems theory casting ASR as intertwined with ongoing family processes and malleable depending on interpersonal interactions. Using observational data from a large, ethnically diverse sample of substance-using adolescents (N = 458), the current study examines the social context of ASR across 3 increasingly conflictual family interaction tasks. Coders rated ASR and 3 concurrent family interaction patterns: enmeshment, conflict avoidance, and negative affect. ASR declined across the 3 tasks, and independent of this systematic change, family-level negative affect in the first task exerted a strong lagged statistical effect on subsequent declines in ASR. The findings are consistent with family systems theory in both the context-dependent nature of ASR behavior and the modulating role of family interaction. In addition to its well-established dispositional properties, ASR may be of interest as a context-specific and potentially modifiable dependent variable. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

It takes two: Infants' moderate negative reactivity and maternal sensitivity predict self-regulation in the preschool years

The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the association of infant fussing and crying with self-regulation in toddlerhood and the preschool years, as well as the moderating role of maternal sensitivity therein. When children (n = 149, 53.69% boys) were 6 months old, parents reported on their fussing and crying using a cry diary, and maternal sensitivity was coded during a novel toy procedure. Children participated in various tasks to assess self-regulation in toddlerhood (18 months) and the preschool years (4.5 years). Results indicated that the relation between infant fussing and preschool self-regulation took the shape of an inverted U, but only for children of highly sensitive mothers. For infants of less sensitive mothers, fussing was not related to later self-regulation. Crying was unrelated to preschool self-regulation. Neither fussing, crying, nor maternal sensitivity predicted self-regulation in toddlerhood. The findings support the optimal arousal theory, by demonstrating that for infants of highly sensitive mothers, moderate amounts of low intensity negative reactivity are associated with enhanced self-regulation in the preschool years. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Good things come to those who wait-Decreasing impatience for health gains and losses

Historically, time preferences are modelled by assuming constant discounting, which implies a constant level of impatience. The prevailing empirical finding, however, is decreasing impatience (DI), meaning that levels of impatience decrease over time. Theoretically, such changes in impatience are crucial to understand behavior and self-control problems. Very few methods exist to measure DI without being restricted to or confounded by certain assumptions about the discounting function or utility curve. One such measure is the recently introduced DI-index, which has been applied to both monetary and health outcomes. The DI-index quantifies the deviation from constant impatience and is flexible enough to capture both increasing and decreasing impatience. In this study, we apply the DI-index to measure impatience for health outcomes in a reference-dependent framework. That is, we measure impatience for both health gains and health losses compared to a reference-point, in individual and societal settings, using a within-subjects design (n = 98). We allowed for both positive and negative discounting, since negative discounting has been observed for losses (i.e. preferring to incur losses earlier rather than later) in earlier work. To capture changes in time inconsistency when subjects show negative discounting (i.e. patience), we modify the DI-index to a decreasing (im)patience (DIP)-index, which can be applied without loss of generality. As in earlier work, we observe large heterogeneity in time consistency; i.e., a mix of decreasing, increasing and constant (im)patience. Across all DIP-indices elicited, increasing impatience was the modal preference for those satisfying impatience, and decreasing patience for those satisfying patience. No systematic differences were observed between health gains and losses or between societal and individual outcomes. This suggests that for health outcomes both patient and impatient individuals assign more importance to time differences delayed further in the future.

Translation and validation of Taiwan Chinese version of the self-regulation questionnaire for gynecologic cancer survivors

OBJECTIVE

To culturally adapt the self-regulation questionnaire to the Taiwan Chinese version (TC-SRQ) and to evaluate its psychometric properties for gynecologic cancer survivors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was employed with a purposive sample of 287 gynecologic cancer survivors. The TC-SRQ was adapted from a Germany version through back-translation to ensure its quality. For construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the TC-SRQ measurement model with fit indexes including the χ² test, the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), and the normed fit index (NFI), the comparative fit index (CFI), and non-normed fit indices (NNFI). For concurrent validity, the Taiwanese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's 30-item core quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaire was used as a criterion measure for quality of life (QOL). Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency and test-retest reliability.

RESULTS

For a modified measurement model of TC-SRQ, the model fit (χ² = 311.23, P = .0; RMSEA = .088; NFI = .97, CFI = .98, NNFI = .97) was acceptable. The evidence of construct validity of TC-SRQ scale was confirmed by the model estimates. TC-SRQ correlated positively with the global QOL, physical, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning domains, and negatively with fatigue and pain domains of EORTC QLQ-C30. For known groups validity, TC-SRQ was correlated with groups attributed by age, family support, health status, and sleep quality. A Cronbach's α of .91 indicated good internal consistency; the test-retest reliability was .82.

CONCLUSIONS

TC-SRQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing self-regulation in gynecologic cancer survivors.

Hormonal contraceptive use predicts decreased perseverance and therefore performance on some simple and challenging cognitive tasks

A growing body of research suggests that hormonal contraceptive (HC) use may be associated with lower self-control, as well as structural and functional differences in women's brains that could contribute to differences in perseverance on tasks requiring cognitive control. Here, we sought to extend this research by examining the relationship between HC use and college-aged women's perseverance (i.e., time spent) and performance on tasks requiring cognitive control. Across two studies, we find that, compared to naturally-cycling women, women using HCs display less perseverance on both simple (i.e., a spot-the-difference game) and challenging (i.e., Graduate Record Examination quantitative problems) tasks. Moreover, these differences in perseverance were found to predict performance decrements across tasks, with women taking HCs performing worse because they spent less time on the tasks. By demonstrating how HC use may influence perseverance and thereby performance, these results contribute to a growing body of research examining the unintended implications of HC use on cognition, learning, and memory.

The relationship between cumulative traumatic experiences and ICD-11 post-traumatic symptoms in children and adolescents in foster care: The mediating effect of sense of coherence

BACKGROUND

Children and adolescents in foster care show a high prevalence of cumulative traumatic experiences (CTE), symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms related to disturbances in self-organization (DSO). PTSD and DSO constitute the ICD-11 diagnosis Complex PTSD (CPTSD). Sense of coherence (SOC) has been shown to alleviate the impact of CTE.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of SOC in the relationship between CTE, PTSD, and DSO.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Trauma history (CTE), PTSD, DSO and SOC were assessed in a sample of 140 children and adolescents in foster care aged 10-18 using self-report questionnaires.

METHOD

Mediation analysis determined the direct, indirect and total effect of the mediation of SOC in the relationship between CTE, PTSD and DSO.

RESULTS

The results showed no mediation of SOC in the relationship between CTE and PTSD symptoms (indirect effect of b = -.001, 95 %CI: -.088-.086). However, SOC mediated the relationship between CTE and DSO symptoms (indirect effect b = .128, 95 %CI: 0.045-.211).

CONCLUSIONS

Those results may point to a promotive function of SOC for the overall development and different areas of self-organization, but not for PTSD symptoms. It is possible that the influence of the trauma on symptoms of PTSD is too pervasive for the promotive function of SOC. The present findings strengthen the assumption that PTSD and DSO are separate second-order factors, which characterize different groups of trauma survivors. The present findings are vital to inform tailored prevention and intervention strategies for survivors of early CTE.

Look but don't touch?: Self-regulation determines whether noticing attractive alternatives increases infidelity

People regularly encounter tempting alternatives to their relationship partners, and it has been argued that paying attention to desirable alternatives increases the risk of infidelity. However, whether the temptation of noticing attractive alternatives leads to actual infidelity should depend on the ability to resist such temptation. More specifically, taking heed of attractive others should increase the likelihood of infidelity only when people lack self-regulatory ability. One experiment and one longitudinal study of newlyweds both demonstrated that the implications of attending to attractive alternatives for infidelity depended on participants' self-regulatory ability to resist such temptations. Specifically, the tendency to notice attractive alternatives was associated with greater infidelity among those with poorer self-regulatory ability, but not among those with greater self-regulatory ability. These results further understanding about how people can maintain and protect their relationships in the face of temptation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Determinants of self-regulated learning skills: the roles of tutors and students

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional method that offers students the opportunity to develop self-regulatory strategies as an explicit learning outcome. As a multifaceted PBL environment, the guidance of tutors is important to students as they develop self-regulatory learning (SRL) skills and self-efficacy, the most focused motivational element in SRL. The present study examines the relationship between academic achievement and PBL self-efficacy levels, as well as the role played by tutors. A cross-sectional study was conducted with third- year medical students (n = 257; 75%). The SRL perception (SRLP) scale, the self-efficacy for PBL scale (SPBL), tutor evaluation scale (TES), and an achievement test were used to gather data in this study. In every scale, participant scores were higher than the midpoint, which is 3. There were positive correlations between SRL, self-efficacy, and the tutoring scores of tutors. As the correlation between SRLP and achievement was not significant, achievement was removed from the regression equation, and only SPBL and TES results were used. The results of the regression analysis indicated that SPBL and TES explained 36% of the variance. The level of self-efficacy in PBL predicted the students' SRL abilities, as did tutor evaluations. The findings show that students used their SRL skills and had beliefs about their ability to learn effectively in the PBL context. Both the tutors' tutoring skills and the students' self-efficacy made important contributions to improving the students' self-regulated learning skills.