Patterns of strengths and trade-offs in preschoolers’ self-regulation skills across contexts of adversity

Previous research on self-regulation development in contexts of adversity has emphasized risk, but recent work suggests this view may be incomplete. Emerging adaptation-based frameworks call for a more balanced perspective that considers how specific experiences may give rise to both developmental challenges and contextually adaptive strengths. In a sample of 1,843 children (mean age = 4.76; 49% female; 37% AAPI, 13% Black, 28% Latine, 10% White; 12% Other) from a large, predominantly low-income preschool program, we applied latent profile analysis to six directly assessed cognitive- and emotion-related self-regulation skills. Five profiles were identified: Global Challenge (8%), Balanced Skills (36%), Global Strength (19%), Emotion Strength / Cognitive Challenge (25%), and Cognitive Strength / Emotion Challenge (12%). Notably, the majority of children fell into profiles marked by strengths in at least one domain, challenging assumptions of uniform impairment in contexts of adversity. These profiles mapped meaningfully onto teacher- and assessor-reported behavior, providing external validation of their classroom relevance. Exploratory analyses using Bayesian inference in a smaller subsample (n = 184) examined how distinct types of adversity—stress, instability, and health-related experiences—predicted profile membership. While no associations met Bayesian thresholds of certainty, stress and health adversity showed preliminary links to profiles characterized by domain-specific trade-offs. These findings illustrate a novel, adaptation-based approach to identifying patterns of strength and challenge, particularly within a racially and economically marginalized sample often described in deficit terms. This work lays a foundation for future research and intervention that recognizes heterogeneity as a meaningful feature of self-regulation development in low-resource contexts.