Becoming more or less mature? The decline of self-control in middle childhood

This study examined the developmental change in self-control and its association with daily stressful events during middle childhood, as well as the factors that contribute to individual differences in the trajectory of self-control.

A community sample of 302 Singaporean children (42% female, 69% Chinese) and their parents were recruited when the children were age 7. Follow-up assessments were made when the children were ages 8, 9, and 11. Developmental changes were examined using latent growth and autoregressive cross-lagged models.

Self-control showed a normative decline over time, and this trajectory was associated with an increase in daily stressful events. There was partial evidence for a reciprocal relationship between self-control and daily stressful events over time. Moreover, the child temperament dimension of effortful control (assessed at age 7) mitigated the decline in self-control, whereas low socioeconomic status predicted lower initial levels of self-control.

This study advances current understanding on the developmental change in self-control during middle childhood, as well as the factors that shape the direction and magnitude of this change.