Poster #8 - Gender Differences in Self-regulation profiles of Korean Preschool Children and their Associations with Problem Behaviors

• In Event: Poster Session 02

Abstract

Poor self-regulation in preschool age has significant implications for the development of psychopathology. However, dynamic patterns of different components of self-regulation, including Inhibitory Control (IC), Cognitive Regulation (CR), Emotion Regulation (ER), and Behavioral Regulation (BR) and their differential impacts on psychopathology remain underexplored. This study aimed to identify self-regulation profiles of Korean preschool-aged children with distinct patterns of IC, CR, ER, BR and examine how they are differently associated with their problem behaviors. In addition, we examined the potential moderating role of gender in the association between profiles of self-regulation and problem behaviors. Participants were 288 children aged 4 – 6.5 (girls n = 147), collected in Korea during 2017-2019. Averaged scores of IC (6 items) and CR (6 items; attentional focusing) were used from Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ; Rothbart et el., 2001) reported by primary caregivers. ER scores were used by averaging 24 items from the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC; Shields & Cicchetti, 1997 ), also reported by primary caregivers. BR was assessed with the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) task by children. We used mean scores of internalizing, externalizing, emotional problems, and ADHD of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000). Latent profile analysis with the KNOWNCLASS approach was conducted to identify subgroups with distinct profiles of self-regulation and to examine moderating effect of gender. Then BCH approach using auxiliary variables was performed to examine the profiles’ effect on different problem behaviors using Mplus 8.7 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2021).A four-class model was chosen for both genders. The moderating effect of gender was significant, confirming qualitative differences in profiles between boys and girls. For girls, “Low IC/CR/ER, High BR (55.32%)”, “High overall regulation (28.37%)”, “Lowest BR (8.51%)”, “High IC/CR, Low ER/BR (7.80%)” were identified. “Low IC/CR/ER, High BR” and “High IC/CR, Low ER/BR” showed higher levels of internalizing, externalizing, ADHD problem behaviors than “Highoverall regulation” group. “Lowest BR” showed higher levels of ADHD problems than “High IC/CR, Low ER/BR”. For boys, “Low overall regulation (13.61%)”, “Moderate (66.67%)”, “High CR, Lowest BR (5.44%)”, “High overall regulation (14.29%)” were identified. “Low overall regulation” group showed the highest levels of all problem behaviors. “High CR, Lowest BR” showed lower levels of internalizing, externalizing, and emotional problems than “Moderate” groups. Our study highlights the importance of considering dynamic patterns of various components of self-regulation if we are to better understand their roles in the development of psychopathology. Specifically, our findings show that there are qualitative differences in regulation profiles between genders. That is, low IC/CR might lead to internalizing, externalizing problem behaviors and ADHD for girls but for boys, low BR might be the key to internalizing, externalizing and emotional problem behaviors. Furthermore, imbalances across different components of regulation (i.e., “Low IC/CR/ER, High BR”, “High IC/CR, Low ER/BR”) might be associated with more internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. The present findings can inform intervention efforts to develop gender-specific programs to reduce preschool children’s poor self-regulation and its associated problem behaviors.

Authors

• Jiwon Lee, Yonsei University
  Presenting Author

• Eunho Jo, Yonsei University

• Hyoun K. Kim, Yonsei University