The relationship between problem behaviors in the classroom and self-regulation and executive function among five-year-old children four years after a large-scale earthquake

Four years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, problematic behavior among children has increased in Miyagi Prefecture, which suffered severe damage. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to clarify how teacher-assessed classroom behavior problems relate to self-regulation and the executive functions of working memory and inhibitory control in five-year-old children living in Miyagi Prefecture, an area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The participants were 112 children (58 boys and 54 girls, mean age = 71.5 months, SD = 3.61). Executive function and self-regulation were assessed through standardized tasks, while behavioral problems were rated by teachers. Multiple regression analysis revealed that children's self-regulation was associated with teacher-reported social, attentional, and aggressive problems. Attention problems were also linked to auditory working memory. These findings suggest that strengthening children's self-regulation and its underlying executive functions–particularly inhibitory control and auditory working memory—may help prevent behavioral difficulties in children following large-scale natural disasters. • After the Great East Japan Earthquake, children's behavioral problems increased in the Miyagi Prefecture. • Children's self-regulation was associated with teacher-reported social, attentional, and aggressive problems. • Attention problems were also linked to auditory working memory as measured by the children's task. • It is necessary to focus on the development of children's self-regulation and executive functions.