TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Self-control mediates age-related differences in psychological distress
JO  - Personality and individual differences
A1  - Butterworth, James W.
A1  - Finley, Anna J.
A1  - Baldwin, Cassandra L.
A1  - Kelley, Nicholas J.
SP  - e111137
EP  - e111137
VL  - 184
IS  - 
N2  - The ability to over-ride or alter motivated responses, known as self-control, is crucial for goal-directed behaviour and is a determinant of many consequential outcomes including physical health, psychological well-being, and mental health. Three cross-sectional correlational studies examined the extent to which individual differences in self-control (i.e., trait self-control) account for age-related differences in psychological distress. In Study 1 participants (N = 622), predominantly from the United States, completed measures of self-control and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) via Amazon's Mechanical Turk. In Study 2, United Kingdom participants (N = 300) completed the same measures as Study 1 via Prolific Academic. In Study 3 a transnational sample of participants (N = 1484) from the Human Penguin Project completed the same measure of self-control as Studies 1-2 along with a new measure of psychological distress (i.e., perceived stress). Across all 3 studies, utilizing varied measures of distress, older (relative to younger) participants reported reduced depression, anxiety, and stress (Studies 1-2) as well as reduced perceived stress (Study 3). These age-related differences in psychological distress were mediated by self-control. Taken together with past research, the current studies suggest that trait self-control may be a key mechanism driving healthy aging.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0191-8869
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111137
ID  - ref1
ER  -