Predictability of Self-Regulation on Externalizing Problem Behaviors: Focusing on Different Self-Regulatory Functions

Abstract

This study examined the contributions of several self-regulatory functions to externalizing problem behaviors. This study focused on three self-regulatory functions: Behavioral Inhibition/Behavioral Approach System (BIS/BAS), Effortful Control (EC), and Social Self-Regulation (SSR). The study tested the hypothesis that the direct effect of SSR on problem behaviors in social settings, such as antisocial behavior, is stronger than temperament facets (BIS/BAS, EC), whereas the direct effect of temperament facets on personal problem behaviors, such as eating disorder and impulse buying, are stronger than SSR. The results partially supported our hypothesis and suggested that the role of each self-regulatory function for externalizing problem behaviors is not universal but domain specific.