Efortful Control in Primary Schoolchildren: Links with Personality, Problem Behaviour, Academic Achievement, and Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

Background: Efortful control is a core aspect of self-regulation and refers to the ability to voluntarily regulate behaviour and attention, measured by temperament questionnaires. Although the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire is widely used in diferent countries, this measure has not been fully explored. Most research on the links of efortful control with personality and important outcomes has been carried out in Western nations; the possibility of extending these fndings to other cultures requires study. Objective: To examine efortful control and its relations to personality and wellbeing in a community sample of primary schoolchildren in Russia. Design: Parents of 7–10-year-olds (N = 614) completed the abbreviated Efortful Control scale of the TMCQ, the Inventory of Child Individual Diferences–Short version, and the Strengths and Difculties Questionnaire (SDQ); teachers provided SDQ data and school grades; children completed the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale. Results: Te fndings supported a four-factor structure of Efortful Control, including Attention Focusing, Inhibitory Control, Activation Control, and Low-Intensity Pleasure. Efortful Control was associated with the personality traits of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness, and also with Positive Emotions and low Neuroticism. Efortful Control was also associated with academic achievement, subjective well-being, and lower levels of externalising and internalising problems. Structural modelling showed that Attentional Control contributed to problem behaviour and subjective wellbeing; Inhibitory Control contributed to externalising problems; and Activation Control contributed to academic achievement. Conclusion: Efortful Control and its components were strongly related to higherand lower-order personality traits. Te fndings confrmed the important role of efortful control in the academic success and well-being of Russian primary schoolchildren.

Keywords

• efortful control
• middle childhood
• personality
• well-being
• problem behaviour
• academic achievement
• life satisfaction