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Relations of Growth in Effortful Control to Family Income, Cumulative Risk, and Adjustment in Preschool-age Children

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Abstract

The study examined growth in effortful control (executive control, delay ability) in relation to income, cumulative risk (aggregate of demographic and psychosocial risk factors), and adjustment in 306 preschool-age children (50 % girls, 50 % boys) from families representing a range of income (29 % at- or near-poverty; 28 % lower-income; 25 % middle-income; 18 % upper-income), with 4 assessments starting at 36–40 month. Income was directly related to levels of executive control and delay ability. Cumulative risk accounted for the effects of income on delay ability but not executive control. Higher initial executive control and slope of executive control and delay ability predicted academic readiness, whereas levels, but not growth, of executive control and delay ability predicted social competence and adjustment problems. Low income is a marker for lower effortful control, which demonstrates additive or mediating effects in the relation of income to children’s preschool adjustment.

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Acknowledgements

Support for this research was provided by NICHD grant R01HD054465 awarded to the first author. The authors thank the families who participated in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Box 351525, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Liliana J. Lengua, Lyndsey Moran, Erika Ruberry & Stephanie Thompson

  2. University of Oregon, Eugene, USA

    Maureen Zalewski

  3. University of California, Los Angeles, USA

    Cara Kiff

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  1. Liliana J. Lengua
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  2. Lyndsey Moran
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Correspondence to Liliana J. Lengua.

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Lengua, L.J., Moran, L., Zalewski, M. et al. Relations of Growth in Effortful Control to Family Income, Cumulative Risk, and Adjustment in Preschool-age Children. J Abnorm Child Psychol 43, 705–720 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9941-2

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