Lack of self-control at youth predicts later problems

Generic Script

A team of researchers which includes Duke psychologists report that lack of self-control among toddlers may predict problems later in life.

The result of the study—a long term study which began with 1,000 children in New Zealand 30 years earlier—concluded that attempts to improve self-control at an earlier age could reduce trouble with substance abuse, crime and money mismanagement later in life.

“It's so rare to have data that can tell us about such a long period of time," Mitch Prinstein, a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said.

While the association between self-control problems as children and behavior issues as adults is by no means new, the evidence which this study provides reveals the impact of early intervention. Positive intervention could potentially reduce the rate of smoking, drug abuse and unplanned pregnancy.

The question then becomes how parents can determine what behavior is typical childlike stubbornness versus behavior that is potentially problematic—which could lead to later problems. Furthermore, what sort of intervention will be most effective for correcting the behavior?

“This is a huge debate in policy circles—the question of whether early intervention to enhance self-control should take a targeted approach vs. a universal approach," Terrie Moffitt, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke said. "Universal interventions that benefit everyone avoid singling out and stigmatizing anyone."