Effortful Control in Childhood: Dimensionality and Validation Through Associations with Sex, Aggression, and Social Information Processing Skills

Objective: Many school-based prevention programs seek to strengthen effortful control in students. However, the concept of effortful control has been defined and measured inconsistently in prior studies. We identified 3 theory-based, practice-relevant dimensions of children's effortful control and developed a teacher-rated measure to evaluate effects of programs to prevent or reduce aggressive behavior in elementary school children. Method: Using data from 690 3rd-grade students in 10 Southeastern U.S. schools, we conducted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of 16 teacher-rated items in a training sample (n = 350). Results: The final EFA model included 13 items in an obliquely rotated solution that included factors of inhibitory control, attention control, and impulsivity. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed acceptable model fit. Effortful control was positively associated with female sex and negatively associated with aggression and conduct problems. Conclusion: Our effortful-control measure showed acceptable reliability and validity and could be used to evaluate outcomes such as aggression in tests of preventive interventions for elementary school children.