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Examining self-regulation as a heterogeneous construct: A nuanced approach to understanding its relational

Juyoung Kim1, Lilly C Bendel-Stenzel1, Grazyna Kochanska1

  • 1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.

Attachment & Human Development
|April 9, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Secure attachment fosters children's self-regulation (SR) through responsive interactions. Mutual responsiveness, especially the child's contribution, is key for developing relational regulatory capacities in families.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Attachment Theory
  • Childhood Self-Regulation

Background:

  • Secure parent-child attachment is linked to better self-regulation (SR) in children.
  • Mechanisms connecting attachment to SR, especially in at-risk families, require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine maternal and child responsiveness as mediators between early attachment security and later SR.
  • To differentiate mediators for mother-related versus decontextualized SR in low-income dyads.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 186 low-income mother-child dyads.
  • Attachment security assessed at 2.5 years (Attachment Q-Set).
  • Responsiveness observed at 3.5 years; SR measured at 7 years (internalized compliance, set-shifting tasks).

Main Results:

  • Maternal and child responsiveness significantly mediated the link between attachment security and mother-related SR.
  • Indirect effects were weaker for decontextualized SR.
  • Children's responsiveness played a crucial role.

Conclusions:

  • Mutually responsive interactions are vital for developing relational regulatory capacities.
  • Children's active participation in interactions is important for linking early attachment to later SR.
  • Findings emphasize the significance of reciprocal interactions in high-risk family contexts.

Keywords:
Attachmentlongitudinal studieslow-income familiesresponsivenessself-regulation

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