Wild kids likely to be troubled as adults.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Children who score lower on measures of self-control as young as age three are more likely to have health problems, substance dependence, financial difficulties, and a criminal record by the time they reach age 32, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Self-control in the youngsters who participated in the study was assessed by teachers, parents, observers, and the kids themselves, and included measures such as "low frustration tolerance, lacks persistence in reaching goals, difficulty sticking with a task, overactive, acts before thinking, has difficulty waiting turn, restless, and not conscientious."

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Fast-forward to adulthood: the kids scoring lowest on those measures scored highest for things like breathing problems, gum disease, sexually transmitted disease, inflammation, overweight, and high cholesterol and blood pressure.

The impulsivity and relative inability to think about the long term of the lower self-control individuals gives them more difficulty with finances, including savings, home ownership, and credit card debt. They also are more likely to be single parents, have a criminal record, and be dependent on alcohol...