The authors hypothesize a possible vicious cycle in which stress-induced self-control losses generate further stressful life events¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r3 · q1
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2018: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q1 i? The article speculates that negative life events might precipitate a positive feedback loop through decreases in self-control. → Duckworth 2013

Evidence¶

Duckworth 2013¶

Duckworth, A. L., Kim, B., and Tsukayama, E. (2013). Life stress impairs self-control in early adolescence. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00608

q1 · i? · associational · r3

A forward-looking hypothesis in the Future Directions section, offered without test in this article; the authors note they deliberately eliminated events that could be consequences of self-control. Analogous feedback loops have been observed for depression and internalizing/externalizing behaviors in cited work.

"it seems possible that negative life events might in fact precipitate a vicious cycle whereby stressful life events lead to decreases in self-control, which lead to increases in certain types of stressful life events (e.g., school failure), which further impair self-control"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Perceived stress mediates the effect of negative life events on self-control decreases when measured at temporally separated occasions (Study 3) — related
• Negative life events predict rank-order decreases in self-control in early adolescents over time, controlling for baseline self-control and demographics — related
• Adverse childhood experiences create toxic stress that impairs attention, learning, and behavior, and school responses can magnify or buffer the harm — related
• Self-control shows substantial rank-order stability in early adolescence, yet situational influences still matter — related