Interplay Among Self-Regulation Processes Over Time for Adolescents in the Context of Chronic Stress

ABSTRACT

Developmental changes in self-regulation are theorized to underlie adolescents’ engagement in risky behaviors, physical health, mental health, and transition to adulthood. Two central processes involved in self-regulation, self-management (i.e. planning, concentration, and problem-solving) and disinhibition (e.g. distractibility and impulsivity) appear to develop asynchronously and may be differentially activated based on contextual factors. Using a sample identified based on exposure to chronic stressors, we investigated how changes in self-management and disinhibition affect each other over time and whether these changes occur differently for boys and girls. Youth aged 8–16 (N = 708) who attended a U.S. summer camp self-reported on components of disinhibition and self-management. Cross-lagged structural equation modeling revealed a reciprocal relationship between self-management and disinhibition, with anger coping and distractibility emerging as critical factors in shaping this relationship. Changes in concentration, planning, and problem-solving were components of self-management that drove subsequent changes in boys’ disinhibition (for girls, however, planning did not). Autocorrelations for both broad processes remained strong from year to year, indicating a high degree of stability in rank order despite the myriad of physical, cognitive and socioemotional changes that occur during adolescence. We discuss implications of the reciprocal model with a focus on the relative pliability of components from each process and strategies for shaping them. Planning, concentration and distractibility are highlighted as potential targets for intervention.

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Disclosure statement

Ty Ridenour’s spouse owns the copyright to the ALEXSA instrument.

Data availability statement

The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so due to the sensitive nature of the information contained in the dataset and additional studies that are using the data reported here, the supporting data are not available.

Supplemental material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2023.2295894

Correction Statement

This article was originally published with errors, which have now been corrected in the online version. Please see Correction (https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2024.2315377)

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded in part by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K01-00434, P50-05605, R41-022127) and the Pennsylvania State University Children, Youth, and Families Consortium.