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. 2025 Mar 8;19(1):19.
doi: 10.1186/s13034-025-00875-8.

Longitudinal associations between executive function and positive parenting during early childhood and resilience, self-regulation, and behavioral problems in school-age children

Lalin Rungsattatharm  1 , Priyakorn Tasingha  1 , Pon Trairatvorakul  2 , Weerasak Chonchaiya  3
Affiliations

Longitudinal associations between executive function and positive parenting during early childhood and resilience, self-regulation, and behavioral problems in school-age children

Lalin Rungsattatharm et al. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. .

Abstract

Background: Longitudinal studies of associations between executive function (EF) and parenting behaviors during early childhood and resilience, self-regulation, and behavioral problems in school-age children are scarce. This study aims to evaluate long-term associations between EF and parenting behaviors during preschool and resilience, self-regulatory efficacy, and behavioral problems in 9-year-old children.

Methods: From February 2021-March 2022, 195 participants were enrolled from a larger longitudinal study conducted since age 6 months. Parents reported child EF difficulties and behavioral problems at ages 4, 6, and 9, as well as parenting behaviors at ages 4 and 6. Children reported resilience and self-regulatory efficacy at age 9. The relationships between these variables were analyzed using path analysis.

Results: Among 195 participants (51.3% female) with a median age of 108 months (interquartile range 108-109), EF difficulties at ages 4 and 6 exhibited direct and indirect relationships with lower resilience, reduced self-regulatory efficacy, and behavioral problems at age 9. Positive parenting at ages 4 and 6 were indirectly associated with better resilience, self-regulatory efficacy, and fewer behavioral problems at age 9, mediated by reduced EF difficulties and behavioral problems during preschool.

Conclusions: EF difficulties during preschool were correlated with decreased resilience, self-regulatory efficacy, and behavioral problems in school-age children. Interventions focusing on promoting EF and positive parenting during early childhood may alleviate behavioral problems and potentially enhance resilience and self-regulatory efficacy during school-age.

Keywords: Behavior; Executive function; Parenting; Resilience; School-age children; Self-regulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The approval for this study was granted by the Institutional Review Board of the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University (IRB 007/58). Informed assent was obtained from the participants, while consent was provided by their primary caregivers. This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hypotheses of the study depicting the complex relationships among EF difficulties, positive parenting behaviors, and child behavioral problems at ages 4 and 6, along with their subsequent effects on resilience, self-regulatory efficacy, and behavioral problems at age 9
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Path analysis model showing the complex direct and indirect relationships of EF difficulties, positive parenting behaviors, child behavioral problems at ages 4 and 6, and subsequent outcomes of resilience, self-regulatory efficacy, and child behavioral problems at 9 years of age adjusted for the child’s age, sex, primary caregiver, and maternal education. Chi-square = 22.417 (d.f. 20), p = 0.318, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.997, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.025, Normed Fit Index (NFI) = 0.973. *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.001
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