The added value of a micro-level ecological approach when mapping self-regulatory control processes and externalizing symptoms during adolescence: a systematic review

Abstract

Deficits in self-regulatory control (SRC) represent a core characteristic of externalizing (EXT) symptoms (e.g., rule-breaking behavior or aggressive behaviors) in adolescents. This review aims to specify the added value of ecologically valid assessments at a micro-level when examining the associations between SRC and EXT symptoms in adolescents. This systematic review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020. The search strategy addressed the added value of (1) naturalistic assessment for the understanding of the relationship between (2) SRC and (3) EXT symptoms in (4) adolescents. We conducted comprehensive searches in bibliographic databases. An additional search was conducted in Google Scholar and supplementary studies were identified through backward and forward citation tracking. Twenty-four studies (n = 4071 adolescents) met the inclusion criteria. The methods used to assess naturalistic aspects included the experience sampling method (ecological momentary- or ambulatory assessment) and the time-course approach (i.e., real-time assessment of SRC processes referring to situations approximating real-life experience where SRC are to be engaged such as in frustrating situations). Micro-level ecological assessments, when mapping the intra-individual relationships between SRC processes and EXT symptoms over time in adolescents within their natural context (i.e., real world) of expression in real time, added a finer-grained observation alongside with a higher ecological validity. Micro-level approaches may enhance the understanding of the complex interplay between SRC and EXT symptoms in adolescence, especially in interventional studies, allowing for the acquisition of endpoints with a higher relevance for everyday functioning.

Impulsivity profiles across five harmonized longitudinal childhood preventive interventions and associations with adult outcomes

“…An important future direction includes the examination of trait versus state impulsivity. Recent advances in technology (e.g., smart phones and wearables) and intensive longitudinal statistical approaches have produced a flurry of studies testing the dynamics or fluctuations of emotional and behavioral problems at micro timescales ; for a review, see Urben et al, 2022). Some research has also identified state-like fluctuations in other neurodevelopmental traits that were considered relatively stable (i.e., callous-unemotional traits; .…”

The impact of a trauma-awareness session on police officers’ trauma-informed attitudes in Scotland

“…ACEs have been associated with structural and functional impacts on the developing brain, leading to significant difficulties in self-regulatory functioning (Bellis et al, 2014). Poor self-regulatory control can predispose an individual to engage in a wide range of risky behaviours that may bring them to the attention of community police officers, including premature sexual activity, alcohol/substance misuse, suicide attempts and intimate partner violence (McManus et al, 2022;Stinson et al, 2023;Urben et al, 2022). A worldwide meta-analysis of 119 longitudinal studies found that ACEs could predict aggressive, criminal and violent behaviour in later life (Derzon, 2010), while a more recent systematic review of meta-analyses found that childhood adversity, particularly family-related trauma, consistently predicted both offending and persistence in criminal behaviour across the lifespan (Basto-Pereira & Farrington, 2022).…”