Developmental trajectories of intentional self regulation in adolescence: The role of parenting and implications for positive and problematic outcomes among diverse youth☆

Abstract

This study assessed 1574 Grades 5 to 11 youth (63.6% female) from the 4‐H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), a longitudinal study involving U.S. adolescents, to assess if patterns of intentional self regulation (ISR) existed; whether these trajectories differed in relation to several Grade 5 parenting characteristics; and whether ISR trajectories were linked to positive and negative developmental outcomes at Grade 11. Growth mixture modeling identified a four‐group solution of ISR trajectories: Steady Decline, Elevated, Late Onset, and Pronounced Decline. Most adolescents reported an incremental decrease in ISR from Grades 5 to 11 (Steady Decline). Lower levels of parental warmth, monitoring, and school involvement at Grade 5 predicted Late‐Onset ISR development while Pronounced Decline adolescents reported lower levels of PYD and Contribution at Grade 11. We discuss the finding that youth at initially similar levels of ISR diverged over adolescence, while youth at initially disparate levels converged.

Genetic moderation of transactional relations between parenting practices and child self-regulation.

“…It includes the skills needed to monitor, evaluate, modify, and inhibit one’s emotions or behavior, either actively or passively, to achieve one’s personal goals in accordance with societal standards of behavior (Moilanen, Shaw, & Fitzpatrick, 2010). As an important determinant of children’s psychosocial adjustment, self-regulation is particularly vital for the prevention of maladaptive developmental outcomes in adolescence, including sexual risk-taking, delinquency, and substance use (Crockett et al, 2006; Quinn & Fromme, 2010; Wills, Walker, Mendoza, & Ainette, 2006), and the promotion of positive outcomes, such as prosocial behavior and academic achievement (Bowers et al, 2011; McClelland & Wanless, 2012). …”

Self-Regulation

“…In contrast to the conflicted and non-supportive parent-child relationships that undermine children's ability to self-regulate, organized and predictable home environments and emotionally positive parent-child relationships provide a context that allows for the development of selfregulatory competencies (e.g., Bowers et al 2011;Brody and Ge 2001;Grolnick et al 2000;Lewin-Bizan et al 2010;Moilanen et al 2010). For example, parenting that includes a focus on supporting autonomy and setting limits has significantly predicted stronger self-regulation in children compared to parenting that is more controlling and focused on compliance (Bernier et al 2010;Lengua et al 2007).…”

Comparing Alternate Approaches to Calculating Reliability for Dichotomous Data: The Sample Case of Adolescent Selection, Optimization, and Compensation

“…This nine-item composite includes a subset of items in the SOC questionnaire (Freund & Baltes, 2002). This composite was originally proposed by Gestsdóttir and Lerner (2007), and has commonly been used an index of ISR in the adolescent development literature (e.g., Bowers et al, 2011). The composite contains items from each of the three core SOC concepts: Selection, Optimization, and Compensation.…”