by Aimee Keenan-Greene 
 
A lack of self-control now could mean your kids have problems when they grow up.
 
Researchers from Britain, the United States and New Zealand published their findings in the new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal. 

The Wall Street Journal says scientists tracked a socioeconomically diverse group of 1,037 children in New Zealand from birth to age 32. 

According to Reuters, the children with low self-control were more likely to have health problems including high blood pressure, obesity, breathing problems and sexually transmitted diseases. 

They were also more likely to be dependent on substances such as tobacco, alcohol and drugs, more likely to be single parents, have difficulty managing money and have criminal records. 

The researchers found a similar link between self-control at age 5 and later success. Using data on 500 pairs of fraternal twins in Britain, they found the sibling with lower self-control scores at age 5 was more likely to smoke, perform poorly in school and engage in antisocial behaviors at age 12, reports Bloomberg News. 

Time Healthland says the new research confirms the findings of the famous Stanford marshmallow study, which found young children who were able resist a marshmallow placed in front of them, for 15 minutes, in order to get two of them later  - scored an average of 210 points higher on the SAT. About one-third of the 4-to-6-year-olds studied denied themselves the temptation.  Kids with more self-control in the marshmallow trial had better life outcomes. 

Parents and teachers can strengthen children’s self-control, says criminologist Alex Piquero of Florida State University in Tallahassee. A 2010 research review led by Piquero concluded programs grounded in behavioral rewards, training in coping skills and role-playing stimulated by videotaped situations worked best in boosting kids’ self-control, according to Science News. 

Young children are capable of feeling anger but unable to understand what is really happening. This, plus limited verbal ability and a dose of frustration, and a child's behavior is out of control. They need an adult to help them gain control. 

University of Rhode Island's Cooperative Extension has parenting tips for surviving temper tantrums including: 

• Parent should first work toward preventing the child from hurting themselves or others.
• Try to remain calm, don't try to reason with the child until the child has calmed down.
• When possible try to ignore the tantrum.
• After the tantrum has subsided offer comfort.