How Do Self-Control and Decision-Making Skills Relate to Mental Health in Young Children?

What you need to know

• Children’s ability to control their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors (self-regulation) develops during early childhood and impacts their mental health
• Different types of self-regulation problems are associated with specific behavioral and emotional challenges
• Understanding these patterns can help target interventions more effectively for children showing early signs of difficulties

Why Self-Regulation Matters

Imagine trying to focus on a complicated task while someone is constantly interrupting you, or resisting the temptation to eat a cookie when you’re really hungry. These everyday challenges require self-regulation - our ability to control our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to achieve our goals. For children, developing these skills is crucial, as difficulties with self-regulation can lead to various behavioral and emotional challenges.

Different Types of Self-Control

Scientists have identified several distinct types of self-regulation. “Cool” self-control involves focusing attention and inhibiting automatic responses in neutral situations - like raising your hand before speaking in class. “Hot” self-control comes into play in emotional or motivating situations - like managing disappointment when losing a game or waiting your turn for a desired toy.

What the Research Found

This study examined 212 young children (ages 4-8) who were identified by their teachers as having attention, behavioral, or emotional difficulties at school. The researchers used computer-based tasks to measure different aspects of self-regulation and analyzed how these related to various behavioral and emotional symptoms.

Key findings showed that:

• Children with attention problems (ADHD symptoms) struggled most with basic attention control and response inhibition
• Children with oppositional behavior showed more reward-seeking behavior in decision-making tasks
• Children with depression symptoms showed less reward-seeking behavior
• Children with anxiety actually showed better cognitive control in some situations

The Brain’s Control Systems

The researchers found that self-regulation involves three main brain systems:

• A cognitive system for basic attention and impulse control
• A reward system for processing positive experiences
• A threat/loss system for handling negative experiences

These systems work together but can be impaired in different ways, leading to various behavioral and emotional challenges.

What This Means for You

If you’re a parent or teacher concerned about a child’s self-regulation:

1. Observe which situations are most challenging - is it basic attention tasks, emotional situations, or both?
2. Remember that different children may need different types of support based on their specific challenges
3. Consider that some behaviors (like being cautious or risk-averse) might actually indicate emotional difficulties rather than good self-control

Conclusions

• Self-regulation difficulties can manifest in different ways and may require different approaches to intervention
• Early identification of specific self-regulation challenges can help target support more effectively
• Some children may have relative strengths in certain areas of self-regulation while struggling in others