Abstract
Self-regulation is a foundational skill in childhood and underpins various positive and negative outcomes throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. Parents and the way they parent their children play a key role in the development of young children’s self-regulatory capacity. However, there is limited evidence for the effectiveness of parenting interventions on child self-regulatory outcomes. This paper provides an overview of the role of parenting in the development of child self-regulation and a summary of the evidence base for parenting interventions to promote self-regulation in children under age eight, focusing on infancy, the toddler/preschooler period, and early school-age. We conclude by examining the gaps in this field of research and providing directions for future research.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
August, G. J., Realmuto, G. M., Hektner, J. M., & Bloomquist, M. L. (2001). An integrated components preventive intervention for aggressive elementary school children: The Early Risers program. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69(4), 614–626. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.69.4.614.
Baron, A., & Malmberg, L.-E. (2017). A vicious or auspicious cycle: The reciprocal relation between harsh parental discipline and children’s self-regulation. European Journal of Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2017.1399875.
Bernier, A., Carlson, S. M., & Whipple, N. (2010). From external regulation to self-regulation: Early parenting precursors of young children’s executive functioning. Child Development, 81(1), 326–339. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01397.x.
Blair, C. (2002). School readiness: Integrating cognition and emotion in a neurobiological conceptualization of children’s functioning at school entry. American Psychologist, 57(2), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.2.111.
Blair, C., & Diamond, A. (2008). Biological processes in prevention and intervention: The promotion of self-regulation as a means of preventing school failure. Development and Psychopathology, 20(3), 899–911. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579408000436.
Blair, C., Raver, C. C., Berry, D. J., & Project, F. L., I (2014). Two approaches to estimating the effect of parenting on the development of executive function in early childhood. Developmental Psychology, 50(2), 554–565. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033647.
Bridgett, D. J., Burt, N. M., Edwards, E. S., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2015). Intergenerational transmission of self-regulation: A multidisciplinary review and integrative conceptual framework. Psychological Bulletin, 141(3), 602–654. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038662.
Chang, H., Shaw, D. S., Dishion, T. J., Gardner, F., & Wilson, M. N. (2014). Direct and indirect effects of the family check-up on self-regulation from toddlerhood to early school-age. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42(7), 1117–1128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9859-8.
Chang, H., Shaw, D. S., Dishion, T. J., Gardner, F., & Wilson, M. N. (2015). Proactive parenting and children’s effortful control: Mediating role of language and indirect intervention effects. Social Development, 24(1), 206–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12069.
Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (1999). Initial impact of the fast track prevention trial for conduct problems: I. The high-risk sample. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67(5), 631–647. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.67.5.631.
Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2010). Fast track intervention effects on youth arrests and delinquency. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 6(2), 131–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-010-9091-7.
Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. (2015). Impact of early intervention on psychopathology, crime, and well-being at age 25. American Journal of Psychiatry, 172(1), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13060786.
Diamond, A., & Lee, K. (2011). Interventions shown to aid executive function development in children 4–12 years old. Science, 333(6045), 959–964. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1204529.
Dozier, M., Peloso, E., Lewis, E., Laurenceau, J.-P., & Levine, S. (2008). Effects of an attachment-based intervention on the cortisol production of infants and toddlers in foster care. Development and Psychopathology, 20(3), 845–859. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579408000400.
Dumas, J. E., Nissley, J., Nordstrom, A., Smith, E. P., Prinz, R. J., & Levine, D. W. (2005). Home chaos: Sociodemographic, parenting, interactional, and child correlates. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34(1), 93–104. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3401_9.
Eisenberg, N., Valiente, C., & Eggum, N. D. (2010). Self-regulation and school readiness. Early education and development, 21(5), 681–698. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2010.497451.
Fay-Stammbach, T., Hawes, D. J., & Meredith, P. (2014). Parenting influences on executive function in early childhood: A review. Child Development Perspectives, 8(4), 258–264. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12095.
Feinberg, M. E., Kan, M. L., & Goslin, M. C. (2009). Enhancing coparenting, parenting, and child self-regulation: Effects of family foundations 1 year after birth. Prevention Science, 10(3), 276–285. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-009-0130-4.
Feldman, R. (2009). The development of regulatory functions from birth to 5 years: Insights from premature infants. Child Development, 80(2), 544–561. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01278.x.
Feldman, R., Weller, A., Sirota, L., & Eidelman, A. I. (2002). Skin-to-skin contact (kangaroo care) promotes self-regulation in premature infants: Sleep-wake cyclicity, arousal modulation, and sustained exploration. Developmental Psychology, 38(2), 194–207. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.38.2.194.
Funderburk, B. W., & Eyberg, S. (2011). Parent–child interaction therapy. In G. R. V. J. C. Norcross & D. K. Freedheim (Eds.), History of psychotherapy: Continuity and change (2nd ed., pp. 415–420). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.
Graziano, P. A., Keane, S. P., & Calkins, S. D. (2010). Maternal behavior and children’s early emotion regulation skills differentially predict development of children’s reactive control and later effortful control. Infant and Child Development, 19(4), 333–353. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.670.
Jaramillo, J. M., Rendón, M. I., Muñoz, L., Weis, M., & Trommsdorff, G. (2017). Children’s self-regulation in cultural contexts: The role of parental socialization theories, goals, and practices. Frontiers in Psychology. 8, 923. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00923.
Karreman, A., van Tuijl, C., van Aken, M. A. G., & Deković, M. (2006). Parenting and self-regulation in preschoolers: a meta-analysis. Infant and Child Development, 15(6), 561–579. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.478.
Kim, S., & Kochanska, G. (2012). Child temperament moderates effects of parent–child mutuality on self-regulation: A relationship-based path for emotionally negative infants. Child Development, 83(4), 1275–1289. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01778.x.
Kochanska, G., Murray, K. T., & Harlan, E. T. (2000). Effortful control in early childhood: Continuity and change, antecedents, and implications for social development. Developmental Psychology, 36(2), 220–232. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.36.2.220.
Kopp, C. B. (1982). Antecedents of self-regulation: A developmental perspective. Developmental Psychology, 18(2), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.18.2.199.
Kumpfer, K. L., Alvarado, R., Tait, C., & Turner, C. (2002). Effectiveness of school-based family and children’s skills training for substance abuse prevention among 6-8-year-old rural children. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16(4), S65–S71. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-164X.16.4S.S65.
Landry, S. H., Zucker, T. A., Williams, J. M., Merz, E. C., Guttentag, C. L., & Taylor, H. B. (2017). Improving school readiness of high-risk preschoolers: Combining high quality instructional strategies with responsive training for teachers and parents. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 40, 38–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.12.001.
LeCuyer, E. A., & Zhang, Y. (2015). An integrative review of ethnic and cultural variation in socialization and children’s self-regulation. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 71(4), 735–750. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12526.
Lengua, L. J., Honorado, E., & Bush, N. R. (2007). Contextual risk and parenting as predictors of effortful control and social competence in preschool children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 28(1), 40–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2006.10.001.
Lengua, L. J., Kiff, C., Moran, L., Zalewski, M., Thompson, S., Cortes, R., & Ruberry, E. (2014). Parenting mediates the effects of income and cumulative risk on the development of effortful control. Social Development, 23(3), 631–649. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12071. doi.
Lewis-Morrarty, E., Dozier, M., Bernard, K., Terracciano, S. M., & Moore, S. V. (2012). Cognitive flexibility and theory of mind outcomes among foster children: Preschool follow-up results of a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Adolescent Health, 51(2 Suppl), 17–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.05.005.
Lundahl, B., Risser, H. J., & Lovejoy, M. C. (2006). A meta-analysis of parent training: Moderators and follow-up effects. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 86–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2005.07.004.
Masten, A. S., & Cicchetti, D. (2010). Developmental cascades. Development and Psychopathology, 22(3), 491–495. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579410000222.
Matheny, A., Wachs, T., Ludwig, J., & Phillips, K. (1995). Bringing order out of chaos: Psychometric characteristics of the confusion, hubbub, and order scale. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 16, 429–444.
McClelland, M. M., & Cameron, C. E. (2011). Self-regulation and academic achievement in elementary school children. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2011(133), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/cd.302. doi.
McClelland, M. M., & Cameron, C. E. (2012). Self-regulation in early childhood: Improving conceptual clarity and developing ecologically valid measures. Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), 136–142. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00191.x.
Meldrum, R. C., Trucco, E. M., Cope, L. M., Zucker, R. A., & Heitzeg, M. M. (2018). Brain activity, low self-control, and delinquency: An fMRI study of at-risk adolescents. Journal of Criminal Justice, 56, 107–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2017.07.007.
Mihelic, M., Morawska, A., & Filus, A. (2017). Effects of early parenting interventions on parents and infants: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26, 1507–1526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0675-y.
Moffitt, T. E., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D., Dickson, N., Hancox, R. J., Harrington, H.,.. . Caspi, A. (2011). A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 2693–2698. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1010076108.
Montroy, J. J., Bowles, R. P., Skibbe, L. E., McClelland, M. M., & Morrison, F. J. (2016). The development of self-regulation across early childhood. Developmental Psychology, 52(11), 1744–1762. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000159.
Morris, A. S., Silk, J. S., Steinberg, L., Myers, S. S., & Robinson, L. R. (2007). The role of the family context in the development of emotion regulation. Social Development, 16(2), 361–388. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2007.00389.x.
Nigg, J. T. (2017). Annual research review: On the relations among self-regulation, self-control, executive functioning, effortful control, cognitive control, impulsivity, risk-taking, and inhibition for developmental psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(4), 361–383. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12675. doi.
O’Connor, E. E., Cappella, E., McCormick, M. P., & McClowry, S. G. (2014). An examination of the efficacy of INSIGHTS in enhancing the academic and behavioral development of children in early grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(4), 1156–1169. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036615.
Pandey, A., Hale, D., Das, S., Goddings, A., Blakemore, S., & Viner, R. M. (2018). Effectiveness of universal self-regulation–based interventions in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 172(6), 566–575. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.0232.
Piotrowski, J. T., Lapierre, M. A., & Linebarger, D. L. (2013). Investigating correlates of self-regulation in early childhood with a representative sample of english-speaking American families. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22(3), 423–436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9595-z.
Piquero, A. R., Jennings, W. G., Farrington, D. P., Diamond, B., & Gonzalez, J. M. R. (2016). A meta-analysis update on the effectiveness of early self-control improvement programs to improve self-control and reduce delinquency. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 12(2), 249–264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-016-9257-z.
Posner, M. I., & Rothbart, M. K. (2000). Developing mechanisms of self-regulation. Development and Psychopathology, 12(3), 427–441.
Riva Crugnola, C., Ierardi, E., Ferro, V., Gallucci, M., Parodi, C., & Astengo, M. (2016). Mother-infant emotion regulation at three months: The role of maternal anxiety, depression and parenting stress. Psychopathology, 49(4), 285–294. https://doi.org/10.1159/000446811.
Roskam, I., Stievenart, M., Meunier, J.-C., & Noël, M.-P. (2014). The development of children’s inhibition: Does parenting matter? Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 122, 166–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.01.003.
Sanders, M. R. (2012). Development, evaluation, and multinational dissemination of the triple P-positive parenting program. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 8, 345–379. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032511-143104.
Sanders, M. R., Kirby, J. N., Tellegen, C. L., & Day, J. J. (2014). The triple P-positive parenting program: A systematic review and meta-analysis of a multi-level system of parenting support. Clinical Psychology Review, 34(4), 337–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2014.04.003.
Sanders, M. R., & Mazzucchelli, T. G. (2012). The promotion of self-regulation through parenting interventions. In Vassilis Barkoukis (Ed.), Psychology of self-regulation (pp. 103–119). New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Sanders, M. R., & Mazzucchelli, T. G. (2013). The promotion of self-regulation through parenting interventions. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-013-0129-z.
Sandler, I. N., Schoenfelder, E. N., Wolchik, S. A., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2011). Long-term impact of prevention programs to promote effective parenting: Lasting effects but uncertain processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 62(1), 299–329. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.121208.131619. doi.
Sheridan, S. M., Knoche, L. L., Edwards, C. P., Bovaird, J. A., & Kupzyk, K. A. (2010). Parent engagement and school readiness: Effects of the getting ready intervention on preschool children’s social-emotional competencies. Early Education and Development, 21(1), 125–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280902783517.
Somech, L. Y., & Elizur, Y. (2012). Promoting self-regulation and cooperation in pre-kindergarten children with conduct problems: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(4), 412–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2012.01.019.
Sorensen, L. C., Dodge, K. A., & Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (2016). How does the fast track intervention prevent adverse outcomes in young adulthood? Child Development, 87(2), 429–445. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12467.
Steinberg, L. (2018). Regulating our enthusiasm for self-regulation interventions. JAMA Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.0376.
Tamm, L., & Nakonezny, P. A. (2015). Metacognitive executive function training for young children with ADHD: A proof-of-concept study. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 7(3), 183–190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-014-0162-x.
Tamm, L., Nakonezny, P. A., & Hughes, C. W. (2014). An open trial of a metacognitive executive function training for young children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 18(6), 551–559. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054712445782.
Thompson, R. A., & Raikes, H. A. (2007). The social and emotional foundations of school readiness social and emotional health in early childhood: Building bridges between services and systems (pp. 13–35). Baltimore: Paul H Brookes Publishing.
Valcan, D. S., Davis, H., & Pino-Pasternak, D. (2017). Parental behaviours predicting early childhood executive functions: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-017-9411-9.
Vernon-Feagans, L., Willoughby, M., & Garrett-Peters, P. (2016). Predictors of behavioral regulation in kindergarten: Household chaos, parenting, and early executive functions. Developmental Psychology, 52(3), 430–441. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000087.
Webster-Stratton, C., & McCoy, K. P. (2015). Bringing the incredible years® programs to scale. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2015(149), 81–95. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20115. doi.
Williams, K. E., & Berthelsen, D. (2017). The development of prosocial behaviour in early childhood: Contributions of early parenting and self-regulation. International Journal of Early Childhood, 49(1), 73–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-017-0185-5.
Wu, Y.-C., Hsieh, W.-S., Hsu, C.-H., Chang, J.-H., Chou, H.-C., Hsu, H.-C.,.. . Jeng, S.-F. (2016). Intervention effects on emotion regulation in preterm infants with very low birth weight: A randomized controlled trial. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 48, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2015.10.016.
Acknowledgements
This review, in part, was supported by grant # R01 DA021307 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The Parenting and Family Support Centre is partly funded by royalties stemming from published resources of the Triple P—Positive Parenting Program, which is developed and owned by The University of Queensland (UQ). Royalties are also distributed to the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences at UQ and contributory authors of published Triple P resources. Triple P International (TPI) Pty Ltd is a private company licensed by UQ, to publish and disseminate Triple P worldwide. The authors of this report have no share or ownership of TPI. Dr Morawska receives royalties from TPI. TPI had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of data, or writing of this report. Drs Morawska, and Dittman are employees at UQ.
Ethical Approval
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Morawska, A., Dittman, C.K. & Rusby, J.C. Promoting Self-Regulation in Young Children: The Role of Parenting Interventions. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 22, 43–51 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00281-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00281-5