Self-regulation all bass-ackwards: Similarities and differences in component structure in community and forensic psychiatric populations

Self-regulation is a multifaceted construct that is defined as the ability to change thoughts, emotions, and behavior to achieve a desired state or effect. Despite its relevance for forensic psychology and other fields within psychology, its complexity and varied operationalization make it difficult to compare and draw conclusions from research. The present study aimed to elucidate the construct of self-regulation by applying a Bass-Ackwards component analysis to multiple scales of self-regulatory components in both a general population sample of males (n = 200) and females (n = 118) and in a forensic psychiatric sample (n = 94). Results indicated that although there are some differences between the component structure in each group, three general components of self-regulation emerged, capturing emotion regulation, risk behavior, and cognitive regulation. This suggests that although sample-specific measures might be useful, any comprehensive measure of self-regulation should contain elements of each of these three domains. This study contributes to clinical practice by emphasizing that interventions aimed at increasing self-regulation should focus on emotion regulation, risk behavior, and cognitive regulation.

Public Significance Statement 

The current manuscript investigated the structure of self-regulation across a sample of community men and women and a sample of forensic patients. Findings showed that although structure varied, an emotional, behavioral, and cognitive elements were seen in each sample. These findings can help to guide future research and instrument development, making sure self-regulation is measured as a multidimensional construct.