Predictors of Self-Regulation Profiles in Preschool and First Grade

Children’s cognitive self-regulation (executive function or EF, including attention, inhibitory control, and working memory) and emotional self-regulation (emotion regulation or ER, including positive and negative emotions) have been shown to be associated with family, maternal, and child characteristics. Little research has examined EF and ER links, however, or how children’s changing patterns of EF and ER over time are associated with factors in early childhood. This study examines how demographics, and maternal and child health factors predict latent profiles of cognitive and emotional self-regulation in preschool and 1^st grade.

Data from the NICHD Early Child Care and Youth Development Study were used. For self-regulation profiles, maternal reports and direct child assessments of attention, inhibitory control, working memory, positive emotions, and negative emotions were used at 54-months (N = 1,090) and 1^st grade (N = 1,044). A 3-profile solution was the best fitting model at both times. The largest “high SR” profile at 54-months and 1^st grade (approx. 50%) was characterized by strong attention and ER (e.g appropriate regulation of positive and negative emotions). The two remaining profiles were somewhat similar and included low attention and ER, but differed from one another in working memory. This difference was largest at 54-months where the “low SR/good memory” profile showed the strongest working memory and the “low overall SR” profile showed the weakest working memory. Both profiles showed weaker working memory at 1^st grade.

Demographics, and maternal and child health data were collected when children were 1, 6, 15, 24, and 36 months of age. At 1 month of age, mothers reported on child gestational age at birth, as well as child gender, minority status, and family poverty status. A measure of maternal mental health was created using the total number of times from 6 – 36 months that mothers reported sub-threshold depression symptoms on the CESD. Results of multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that child gestational age predicted profile membership in preschool, but not in 1^st grade. At both time points, compared to the high SR profile, children in the low SR profile were more likely to be boys, minorities, and live in families in poverty. Children with mothers who were more continuously depressed were more likely to be in the low SR and low SR/good memory profiles at both time points. Results provide information about maternal and child health factors that differentially influence children’s self-regulation in preschool and 1^st grade.