Declive Temprano de la Regulación Emocional Infantil: Influencia del Big Five, Locus de Control y Prácticas Parentales

Childhood has traditionally been considered a stage of emotional stability and cognitive openness. However, recent studies suggest a progressive decline in these skills before adolescence. This study examined this phenomenon by integrating personality traits (Big Five), family conditions, locus of control, sleep habits, and parenting practices. The sample consisted of 687 children from 3rd to 7th grade, attending both public and private schools. Instruments included an adapted Big Five questionnaire, recreational interest inventory, sleep habit records, family environment variables, and a question on success attribution. Analyses comprised descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression models. Results revealed a significant decline in openness to experience (−15%), emotional regulation (−6%), and extraversion (−7%) across school grades. Additionally, 29.9% of participants showed moderate-to-high risk for mental health issues, while 26.3% attributed success to external factors such as luck. Negative correlations were observed between late bedtime, unstable family environments, external locus of control, and emotional regulation. Parental emotional indifference was associated with the lowest regulation scores, even lower than those reported by children experiencing physical punishment. Findings indicate that emotional and cognitive stability is compromised earlier than commonly expected. Promoting healthy sleep habits, stable family structures, and dialogue-based parenting practices emerges as a key preventive strategy to reduce children’s emotional risk.