Self-Regulation Patterns in Kindergarten Children: A Latent Profile Analysis

Early childhood self-regulation is foundational for academic, social, and emotional development. Whereas self-regulation domains are strongly intertwined, the majority of developmental research focuses on single-regulation domains, neglecting the interrelations between multiple self-regulation domains. Person-centered approaches offer the possibility to identify self-regulation profiles, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of different self-regulation patterns while also considering potential heterogeneity among individuals. In the present study, we conducted a latent profile analysis and included four self-regulation domains: attention regulation, emotion regulation, behavioral regulation, and cognitive regulation. The sample consisted of N = 254 Swiss kindergarteners (Mage = 6.0 years, 51.2% female, 24.2% migration background). The results revealed three self-regulation profiles: Competent regulators (74%), children showing cross-domain regulation difficulties (19%), and children with pronounced behavioral regulation difficulties (7%). Moreover, covariate analysis revealed profile differences regarding behavioral problems, parental involvement, age, and gender.