Youth Self-Control and Emotion Regulation

Dear Colleagues,

Self-control and emotion regulation are core elements of human adaptive behavior and thus of healthy human development and psychological well-being. Deficits in these capacities can be costly at the individual, relational, and societal levels, making it pivotal to improve our understanding of them. This Special Issue of Youth aims to overcome the lack of integration between self-control and emotion regulation by examining the interrelations between them, and their antecedents and consequences.

The issue is based on the broad notion of self-regulation as the intent to override, limit, or regulate automatic responses to display delivered and controlled behaviors and attain desired emotional states. Within this framework, self-control and emotion regulation are viewed as elements of a broader self-regulation construct, differentiated by the target of regulation: While self-control primarily refers to observed behaviors and cognitions (inhibiting impulses to achieve long-term goals), emotion regulation is focused on modulating the affective domain (managing feelings and emotional expressions).

As the previous research has demonstrated the importance of adequate development of self-control and emotion regulation from early childhood and its impact on lifespan, the current Special Issue delves into the dynamic development of these critical competencies and thus how they are acquired, refined, and maintained throughout development. From an integral perspective, it is particularly interesting that the profound influence of early context (e.g., family of origin functioning, parenting styles) and significant life events (e.g., ACEs) is considered as antecedents. Similarly, we invite researchers to explore the refinement of self-control and emotional regulation during the turbulent period of adolescence and emerging adulthood, a time marked by increased impulsivity, peer reinforcement, and emotional lability. The contributing articles should also investigate the ultimate influence of these self-control and emotional regulation on the individual’s life and the transition to adulthood, examining outcomes such as academic, professional, and social success, improved health conditions, and overall satisfaction.

Through this approach, this Special Issue would provide a comprehensive resource for researchers and practitioners on the development and impact of self-control and emotion regulation in youth.

Dr. Joel Juarros Basterretxea
Dr. Héctor Morillo Sarto
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Youth is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.