Self-Regulation as a Mediator for the Relationship Between Parenting and the Development of Behavior Problems and Social-Emotional Competences in Elementary School Children

The impact of parenting styles on the development of externalizing behavior problems and social-emotional competences in children has been highlighted in numerous studies. Yet, there are only a few findings on the explanatory mechanisms for these relationships. Children's self-regulation skills are proposed to mediate the relationship between parenting and child development. The increasing ability to self-regulate emotions, cognitions, and behavior at preschool age is associated with behavior problems and competences. However, children's self-regulation can be influenced by parenting styles. The aim of the present study is to examine children's self-regulation skills as a possible mediator for the relationship between parenting styles and the development of social-emotional competences and behavior problems. Three parenting styles. namely, love, severity, and autonomy, were hypothesized to predict the level of self-regulation skills in children, which in turn predicts the development of externalizing behavior patterns (aggressive behavior and hyperactivity/inattention) and social-emotional competences (social competence and emotion knowledge/empathy). Path analyses were conducted with longitudinal questionnaire data from 445 children and their families. The first data collection phase took place at preschool, and the second at elementary school. The analyses were performed using bootstrapped full information maximum likelihood estimation with STATA 14. The results show an indirect positive effect of love and autonomy on the development of social-emotional competencies (and a negative effect of severity) mediated by children's self-regulation skills. Also, severity indirectly promotes the development of externalizing behavior problems and inhibits the development of social-emotional competences. In this context, self-regulation skills represent a mediator for the association between parenting and child development. In addition, parents' educational level influences parenting styles, indicating that especially children from less educated households can benefit from early preventions or interventions. These should aim to raise awareness about parenting styles and strengthen children's self-regulation skills. As self-regulation plays an important role in the development and maintenance of different behavior problems, its role as a transdiagnostic factor is discussed. The findings suggest that promoting self-regulation skills can reduce various problem behaviors and reinforce social-emotional competences.