Bidirectional association between effortful control and intentional self-regulation and their integrative effect on deviant adolescent behaviors

Effortful control and intentional self-regulation are two constructs associated with children’s and adolescent self-regulation that have historically been the subject of research in separate fields, where temperament research has primarily focused on effortful control, and positive development research has focused on intentional self-regulation. This study examines the reciprocal relationship between effortful control and intentional self-regulation and discusses how they relate to deviant adolescent behaviors. A total of 599 adolescents from western Taiwan participated in this study, and four waves of data were collected in 2 years. Cross-lagged structural equation models were tested. The results indicate that effortful control has a predominant influence on intentional self-regulation; also, effortful control negatively predicts deviant behavior for boys, whereas intentional self-regulation displays a similar effect for girls.