Developmental trajectory classes in psychological dysregulation predict later decision-making competence

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are developmental periods associated with increased risk taking, including alcohol and substance use and antisocial behaviors. Typical psychological growth from adolescence into early adulthood reflects increases in traits related to psychological regulation (e.g., greater emotional stability and less impulsivity), which are typically considered protective factors against risk behaviors. However, individuals may vary greatly in their development of these characteristics. This study examines the degree to which heterogeneity in developmental trajectories of psychological regulation are associated with later performance on decision-making skills battery. In this study, psychological regulation was assessed at age 10-12, with follow-up assessments at 14, 16, and 19 years. At age 19, we administered the Youth Decision-Making Competence (DMC; Parker & Fischhoff, 2005) measure. Correlational analyses revealed that lower psychological regulation, as early as age 10, was associated with lower DMC scores. A latent class growth mixture model yielded three distinct developmental trajectory classes of psychological dysregulation: (a) a Moderate-Stable group, a modal class that demonstrated stable and average regulative tendencies throughout adolescence, (b) a Low-Decreasing group, which demonstrated greater self-regulation throughout childhood, and a (c) High-Increasing group, which demonstrated low self-regulative tendencies (higher dysregulation) at age 10 that became increasingly dysregulated throughout adolescence. Individuals in the High-Increasing group demonstrated lower DMC performance than those in the Moderate-Stable and Low-Decreasing groups. Our findings also reinforce past work that indicates considerable individual differences in intra-individual change across adolescence, and that early patterns of psychological dysregulation development can impact later decision-making tendencies.