title: Age and gender differences in self-control and its intergenerational transmission.
abstract: Few studies have been conducted in people of Asian descent that have reported to demonstrate the distinct developmental trends in good self-control and poor control. To fill this gap, we conducted a national cross-sectional survey among adolescents and young adults in China to further clarify the age and gender differences in self-control from a dual-systems perspective.
  
  
  
  A total of 2910 adolescents (female, n = 1698) and their parents from five different provinces in China were surveyed using the Dual-Modes of Self-Control Scale (DMSC-S) and the Parents' Perceived Self-Control Scale. The mean age of the adolescent sample was 17.47 years (ranging from 12.50 to 25.42 years).
  
  
  
  Boys exhibited greater good self-control than girls. Poor control increased between 12 and 17 years of age and declined thereafter; however, good self-control increased over the entire study period. Both good self-control and poor control in student participants were significantly associated with parents' perceived self-control; moreover, the association between good self-control and parental self-control was mediated by SES.
  
  
  
  The roles of age, gender, parental self-control and SES varied in a dual-systems model of self-control: good self-control and poor control. Implications of these results are discussed.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D000068356:Self-Control; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adolescent; dual-systems model; intergenerational transmission; self-control