Relations between distinct aspects of self-regulation to symptoms of impulsivity and compulsivity

Little attention has been paid to different aspects of self-regulation in relation to symptoms of psychopathology, specifically to disorders characterized by impulsive and compulsive features. By dividing self-regulation into assessment (i.e., the tendency to judge the quality of something by considering both its merits and demerits in comparison with an alternative) and locomotion (i.e., the tendency to move from state to state, with committing the psychological resources to pursue goals), this study compared these different aspects of self-regulation with symptoms of impulsivity, anxiety, and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in a non-clinical sample of 330 participants. Results indicate a positive relationship between assessment scores and impulsivity and a negative association between locomotion and impulsivity. Results also indicate that assessment is positively associated with anxiety and obsessive–compulsive symptoms. Collectively, these results suggest that poor self-regulation in the form of high assessment scores may play a role in a range of impulsive and compulsive related disorders.