BC Council for Families

by Tina Albrecht
Communications, BC Council for Families

Self-control in children can be a surprisingly accurate indicator of adult success. A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, followed 1000 New Zealand children from birth to age 32, and found that those who developed self-control at a young age were likely to have better outcomes in adulthood.

The study, A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety, found that children as young as 3 who scored highly on measures of self-control were less likely than lower-scoring children to develop common physical health problems, abuse drugs, experience financial difficulties, raise a child in a single-parent household, or be convicted of a crime as adults.

The children's self-control was assessed by several measures including impulsive aggression, hyperactivity, lack of persistence, inattention and impulsivity. At three, writes study researcher Terry Moffit, a child with good self-control can "focus on a puzzle or game and stick with it until he solves it, take turns working on the puzzle nicely with another child, and get satisfaction from solving it, with a big smile, A child with poor self-control might refuse to play with anything that required any effort of him, might leave the puzzle in the middle to run around the room, might lose his temper and throw the puzzle at the other child, and might end up in tears, instead of feeling satisfied."

Parenting can play a role in helping children improve self-control. "We do believe good parenting can improve self-control and improve life success," write the study's authors. Children who understand that they have power or control over their own actions and behaviors are able to make more positive choices and have a better understanding of consequences.

Developing a routine and establishing behavioural expectations are often effective strategies that can help parents lay the foundation for teaching self-control. As a child grows helping them understand and identify their feeling can also help children gain control of their behaviour and in turn improve self-control.