Developmental patterns of behavioural self-regulation and peer relations in early childhood

Behavioural self-regulation is a key developmental task that improves, on average, across early childhood. Yet there is variation in the early developmental trajectories of behavioural self-regulation. The current study examines (1) heterogeneity in the trajectories of behavioural self-regulation across preschool and kindergarten, (2) peer relations in preschool (acceptance, sociability, victimization, conflict) as predictors of these trajectories, and (3) trajectories of behavioural self-regulation as predictors of peer relations in kindergarten. Data come from a two-year longitudinal study that followed a sample of 443 children (47.9% girls, Mage = 4.08 years) across preschool and kindergarten. Growth mixture modeling identified five distinct latent class trajectories: strong starters with minimal growth, strong starters with steady growth, moderate starters with steady growth, weak starters with rapid growth, and weak starters with minimal growth. Early peer acceptance, victimization and conflict differentiated between the behavioural self-regulation trajectories. These trajectories in turn predicted peer acceptance, sociability, victimization and conflict in kindergarten. Children who evidenced more peer acceptance and less peer conflict at entry to preschool were more likely to show consistently strong than weak behavioural self-regulation. Children who experienced more peer victimization in preschool were more likely to show slowly rather than rapidly improving behavioural self-regulation. By the spring of kindergarten, children who improved in their behavioural self-regulation were more accepted by peers, children who showed consistently strong or improving behavioural self-regulation were more sociable, and children with consistently weak behavioural self-regulation experienced more peer victimization and conflict. These findings have implications for supporting children's emerging behavioural self-regulation and peer relations in the early school years.