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Thanaraju A, Marzuki AA, Chan JK, Wong KY, Phon-Amnuaisuk P, Vafa S, Chew J, Chia YC, Jenkins M. Structural and functional brain correlates of socioeconomic status across the life span: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105716. [PMID: 38729281 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
It is well-established that higher socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with improved brain health. However, the effects of SES across different life stages on brain structure and function is still equivocal. In this systematic review, we aimed to synthesise findings from life course neuroimaging studies that investigated the structural and functional brain correlates of SES across the life span. The results indicated that higher SES across different life stages were independently and cumulatively related to neural outcomes typically reflective of greater brain health (e.g., increased cortical thickness, grey matter volume, fractional anisotropy, and network segregation) in adult individuals. The results also demonstrated that the corticolimbic system was most commonly impacted by socioeconomic disadvantages across the life span. This review highlights the importance of taking into account SES across the life span when studying its effects on brain health. It also provides directions for future research including the need for longitudinal and multimodal research that can inform effective policy interventions tailored to specific life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjun Thanaraju
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia.
| | - Aleya A Marzuki
- Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jee Kei Chan
- Department of Psychology, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
| | - Kean Yung Wong
- Sensory Neuroscience and Nutrition Lab, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | - Paveen Phon-Amnuaisuk
- Department of Psychology, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
| | - Samira Vafa
- Department of Psychology, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia
| | - Jactty Chew
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia
| | - Yook Chin Chia
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia
| | - Michael Jenkins
- Department of Psychology, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia
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González L, Popovic M, Rebagliato M, Estarlich M, Moirano G, Barreto-Zarza F, Richiardi L, Arranz E, Santa-Marina L, Zugna D, Ibarluzea J, Pizzi C. Socioeconomic position, family context, and child cognitive development. Eur J Pediatr 2024; 183:2571-2585. [PMID: 38483609 PMCID: PMC11098862 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-024-05482-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Socioeconomic position (SEP) may have different effects on cognitive development and family context could play a role in this association. This work aimed to analyse the role of socioeconomic positions, measured via various indicators collected longitudinally, in cognitive development at 7-11 years of age, evaluating the role of family context as a potential mediator. The study sample included 394 and 382 children from the INMA Gipuzkoa and Valencia cohorts, respectively. SEP indicators were assessed during pregnancy (family social class, parental education, employment, and disposable income) and at 7 (Gipuzkoa) and 11 (Valencia) years of age (At Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion (AROPE)). Family context and cognitive development were measured with the Haezi-Etxadi Family Assessment Scale 7-11 (HEFAS 7-11) and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (Raven's CPM), respectively. Linear regression models were developed to assess the relationships between (a) SEP-family context, (b) SEP-cognitive development, and (c) family context-cognitive development, adjusting for a priori-selected confounders. Simple and multiple mediation analyses were performed to explore the role of family context in the SEP-cognitive development relationship. Lower SEP was related with a lower cognitive score, this association being particularly robust for family social class. SEP indicators were related to subscales of family context, in particular those regarding cognitive stimulation, parental stress, and parenting. A relationship was also found between these three subscales and child cognitive development, mediating the effect of family social class on child cognition by 5.2, 5.5, and 10.8%, respectively, and 12.0% jointly. Conclusion: Both family SEP and context contribute to a child's cognitive development. Equalising policies and positive parenting programmes could contribute to improving cognitive development in children. What is Known: • Parental social class, education, and employment status have been widely employed to measure socioeconomic position. What is New: • This work focuses on standard measurements of socioeconomic position but also other economic indicators such as the EHII and AROPE, and their effect on child cognitive development and family context. • Promotion of cognitive and linguistic development, parental stress and conflict, and parental profile fostering child development mediated the effect of family social class on cognitive development.
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Grants
- FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957, HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1 and ATHLETE cod 874583 UE
- Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041; FIS-FEDER: PI06/0867, PI09/00090, PI11/02038, PI13/02187, PI16/1288, and PI17/00663, PI18/01142 and PI19/1338 ISCIII
- Margarita Salas Grant MS21-125 European Union-Next Generation EU and the Ministerio de Universidades
- AICO/2020/285; CIAICO/2021/132 Generalitat Valenciana
- 2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089 and 2015111065 Department of Health of the Basque Government
- DFG06/002, DFG08/001 and DFG15/221 Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa
- CIBERESP
- Agreements with Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi, Azkoitia, Azpeitia, and Beasain
- Universitat de Valencia
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Affiliation(s)
- Llúcia González
- Spanish Consortium for Research On Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- JRU in Epidemiology, Environment and Health FISABIO-UJI-UV, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maja Popovic
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO Piemonte, Turin, Italy
| | - Marisa Rebagliato
- Spanish Consortium for Research On Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- JRU in Epidemiology, Environment and Health FISABIO-UJI-UV, Valencia, Spain
- Predepartamental Unit of Medicine of Universitat Jaume I Castellón de La Plana, Castelló, Spain
| | - Marisa Estarlich
- Spanish Consortium for Research On Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
- JRU in Epidemiology, Environment and Health FISABIO-UJI-UV, Valencia, Spain.
- Nursing and Chiropody Faculty of Valencia University, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Giovenale Moirano
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO Piemonte, Turin, Italy
| | - Florencia Barreto-Zarza
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Basic Psychological Processes and their development, HAEZI Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Spain
- Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development Group, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Richiardi
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO Piemonte, Turin, Italy
| | - Enrique Arranz
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Basic Psychological Processes and their development, HAEZI Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Spain
- Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development Group, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Loreto Santa-Marina
- Spanish Consortium for Research On Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Sub-Directorate for Public Health and Addictions of Gipuzkoa, Ministry of Health of the Basque Government, San Sebastian, Spain
- Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development Group, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Daniela Zugna
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO Piemonte, Turin, Italy
| | - Jesús Ibarluzea
- Spanish Consortium for Research On Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Psychology, Department of Basic Psychological Processes and their development, HAEZI Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), San Sebastian, Spain
- Sub-Directorate for Public Health and Addictions of Gipuzkoa, Ministry of Health of the Basque Government, San Sebastian, Spain
- Environmental Epidemiology and Child Development Group, Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Costanza Pizzi
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO Piemonte, Turin, Italy
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Gaynor AM, Gazes Y, Haynes CR, Babukutty RS, Habeck C, Stern Y, Gu Y. Childhood engagement in cognitively stimulating activities moderates relationships between brain structure and cognitive function in adulthood. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 138:36-44. [PMID: 38522385 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Greater engagement in cognitively stimulating activities (CSA) during adulthood has been shown to protect against neurocognitive decline, but no studies have investigated whether CSA during childhood protects against effects of brain changes on cognition later in life. The current study tested the moderating role of childhood CSA in the relationships between brain structure and cognitive performance during adulthood. At baseline (N=250) and 5-year follow-up (N=204) healthy adults aged 20-80 underwent MRI to assess four structural brain measures and completed neuropsychological tests to measure three cognitive domains. Participants were categorized into low and high childhood CSA based on self-report questionnaires. Results of multivariable linear regressions analyzing interactions between CSA, brain structure, and cognition showed that higher childhood CSA was associated with a weaker relationship between cortical thickness and memory at baseline, and attenuated the effects of change in cortical thickness and brain volume on decline in processing speed over time. These findings suggest higher CSA during childhood may mitigate the effects of brain structure changes on cognitive function later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Gaynor
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Montclair State University, Department of Psychology, Montclair, NJ, United States
| | - Yunglin Gazes
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Caleb R Haynes
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Reshma S Babukutty
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Christian Habeck
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yaakov Stern
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yian Gu
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Joseph P. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States.
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4
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Goto N, Kusumasondjaja S, Tjiptono F, Lim SXL, Shee D, Hatano A, Herachwati N, Schaefer A. Multiple group membership and executive function in a socioeconomically diverse sample. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9921. [PMID: 38688975 PMCID: PMC11061274 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60534-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Belonging to multiple groups is an important feature of our social lives. However, it is largely unknown if it is related to individual differences in cognitive performance. Given that changing self-identities linked to each group requires cognitive operations on knowledge bases associated with each group, the extent to which people belong to multiple groups may be related to individual differences in cognitive performance. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to test if multiple group membership is related to executive function task performance. A socioeconomically diverse sample of 395 individuals in Indonesia participated in this study. Our results show that multiple group membership was positively related to the 3-back working memory performance. However, we also found that this relationship was significant only among participants with high (not median or low) SES. We also observed that Contact diversity was negatively related to working memory performance among participants with low SES. Our results show that the complexity of our social lives is related to individual differences in executive function performance, although this seems to be constrained by SES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuhiko Goto
- Graduate School of Social Sciences, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Sony Kusumasondjaja
- Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Fandy Tjiptono
- School of Marketing and International Business, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Shirley X L Lim
- Centre Des Sciences du Goût et de L'Alimentation, CNRS, INRAE, Université de Bourgogne, F-21000, Dijon, France
- Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dexter Shee
- Department of Psychology, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | | | - Nuri Herachwati
- Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Alexandre Schaefer
- Department of Psychology, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
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5
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Sánchez A, Favara M, Sheridan M, Behrman J. Does early nutrition predict cognitive skills during later childhood? Evidence from two developing countries. WORLD DEVELOPMENT 2024; 176:106480. [PMID: 38249341 PMCID: PMC10795736 DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2023.106480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The existing evidence linking early undernutrition to educational outcomes in developing countries is largely focused on assessing its impacts on grade attainment and achievement test scores, with limited evidence on the foundational cognitive skills required to perform well at school. We use unique data collected in Ethiopia and Peru as part of the Young Lives Study to investigate the relationship between early undernutrition and four foundational cognitive skills measured later in childhood, the first two of which measure executive functioning: working memory, inhibitory control, long-term memory, and implicit learning. We exploit the rich longitudinal data available to control for potential confounders at the household and individual level and for time-invariant community characteristics. We also take advantage of the availability of data for paired-siblings to obtain household fixed-effects estimates. In the latter specification, we find robust evidence that stunting at ~ age 5 is negatively related with executive functions measured years later, predicting reductions in working memory and inhibitory control by 12.6% and 5.8% of a standard deviation. Although the main cohort of Young Lives was around 12 years old when executive functions were measured, complementary results and analysis of the data available for the younger siblings suggest that the impact of stunting on executive functions-specifically, on working memory-starts at an earlier age. Our results shed light on the mechanisms that explain the relationship between early nutrition and school achievement tests suggesting that good nutrition is an important determinant of children's learning capacities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Sánchez
- Grupo de Análisis para el Desarrollo (GRADE) (Lima, Peru), and Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford (Oxford, UK)
| | - Marta Favara
- Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Jere Behrman
- Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
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6
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Joseph A, Sylva K, Sammons P, Siraj I. Drivers of the socio-economic disadvantage gap in England: Sequential pathways that include the home learning environment and self-regulation as mediators. BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 94:22-40. [PMID: 37527934 DOI: 10.1111/bjep.12629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Socio-economic status (SES) is a powerful predictor of attainment. Research has identified multiple mechanisms that underpin the effect of SES on attainment. For example, self-regulation (processes through which individuals direct and control their attention, emotion and behaviour) has been identified as one mechanism mediating the SES attainment gap. However, previous studies have not directly tested the statistical pathways by which children from lower SES backgrounds develop low self-regulation skills and subsequently poor attainment at the end of primary school. Adding the home learning environment, which is associated with both SES and self-regulation, further fleshes out the longitudinal pathways. AIMS We propose and test a new model where the relationship between SES and school attainment is sequentially mediated by the family home learning environment and the child's self-regulation. SAMPLE This study uses the Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education data set to study 2311 English children. METHODS We measured SES (via socio-economic disadvantage) based on an index of low parental education, occupation and income at age 3+. The home learning environment was measured by the Home Learning Environment Index at age 3+; self-regulation was a teacher report on the Child Social Behaviour Questionnaire at age 4+ and attainment was measured via scores on national assessments of English and Maths at age 11. RESULTS Our measure of disadvantage predicted attainment. The home learning environment predicted children's self-regulation skills. The relationship between disadvantage and attainment was sequentially mediated by the home learning environment and self-regulation. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that home learning environment and self-regulation may play a sequential role in perpetuating socio-economic disparities in education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen Joseph
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Kathy Sylva
- Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Pam Sammons
- Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Iram Siraj
- Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Verrall CE, Tran DL, Kasparian NA, Williams T, Oxenham V, Ayer J, Celermajer DS, Cordina RL. Cognitive Functioning and Psychosocial Outcomes in Adults with Complex Congenital Heart Disease: A Cross-sectional Pilot Study. Pediatr Cardiol 2024; 45:529-543. [PMID: 38261061 PMCID: PMC10891231 DOI: 10.1007/s00246-023-03376-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Adults with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) are at risk for cognitive dysfunction. However, associations between cognitive dysfunction and psychosocial outcomes are poorly defined. Between June and November 2022, we prospectively recruited 39 adults with complex CHD who completed a computerized cognitive assessment (Cogstate) and validated psychosocial scales measuring psychological distress, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and resilience. Participants had a mean age of 36.4 ± 11.2 years. Over half (62%) were women, most (79%) had complex biventricular CHD, and 21% had Fontan physiology. Prevalence of cognitive dysfunction was greatest in the domains of attention (29%), working memory (25%), and psychomotor speed (21%). Adjusting for age and sex, Pearson partial correlations between Cogstate z-scores and self-reported cognitive problems were small. Participants who lived in the most disadvantaged areas and those with a below-average annual household income had lower global cognitive z-scores (p = 0.02 and p = 0.03, respectively). Two-thirds (64%) reported elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or stress. Small correlations were observed between psychological distress and cognitive performance. Greater resilience was associated with lower psychological distress (r ≥ -0.5, p < 0.001) and higher HRQOL (r = 0.33, p = 0.02). Our findings demonstrate that adults with complex CHD have a high risk of cognitive dysfunction, though may not recognize or report their cognitive challenges. Lower socioeconomic status may be an indicator for those at risk of poorer cognitive functioning. Psychological distress is common though may not be a strong correlate of performance-based cognitive functioning. Formal cognitive evaluation in this patient population is essential. Optimizing resilience may be a protective strategy to minimize psychological distress and bolster HRQOL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte E Verrall
- The University of Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Heart Centre for Children, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Clinical Research Group, Heart Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Derek L Tran
- The University of Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Clinical Research Group, Heart Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Nadine A Kasparian
- Heart and Mind Wellbeing Center, Heart Institute and Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Tracey Williams
- Kids Rehab, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Vincent Oxenham
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Julian Ayer
- The University of Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Heart Centre for Children, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - David S Celermajer
- The University of Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Clinical Research Group, Heart Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Rachael L Cordina
- The University of Sydney School of Medicine, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Clinical Research Group, Heart Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Bignardi G, Mareva S, Astle DE. Parental socioeconomic status weakly predicts specific cognitive and academic skills beyond general cognitive ability. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13451. [PMID: 37853931 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Parental socioeconomic status (SES) is a well-established predictor of children's neurocognitive development. Several theories propose that specific cognitive skills are particularly vulnerable. However, this can be challenging to test, because cognitive assessments are not pure measures of distinct neurocognitive processes, and scores across different tests are often highly correlated. Aside from one previous study by Tucker-Drob, little research has tested if associations between SES and cognition are explained by differences in general cognitive ability rather than specific cognitive skills. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), we tested if parental SES is associated with individual cognitive test scores after controlling for latent general cognitive ability. Data from three large-scale cohorts totalling over 16,360 participants from the UK and USA (ages 6-19) were used. Associations between SES and cognitive test scores are mainly (but not entirely) explained through general cognitive ability. Socioeconomic advantage was associated with particularly strong vocabulary performance, unexplained by general ability. When controlling for general cognitive ability, socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with better executive functions. Better characterizing relationships between cognition and adversity is a crucial first step toward designing interventions to narrow socioeconomic gaps. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Understanding environmental influences on cognitive development is a crucial goal for developmental science-parental socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the strongest predictors. Several theories have proposed that specific cognitive skills, such as language or certain executive functions, are particularly susceptible to socioeconomic adversity. Using structural equation modelling, we tested whether SES predicts specific cognitive and academic tests after controlling for latent general cognitive ability across three large-scale cohorts. SES moderately predicted latent general cognitive ability, but associations with specific cognitive skills were mainly small, with a few exceptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Bignardi
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Silvana Mareva
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Rodman AM, Rosen ML, Kasparek SW, Mayes M, Lengua L, Meltzoff AN, McLaughlin KA. Social experiences and youth psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study. Dev Psychopathol 2024; 36:366-378. [PMID: 36503551 PMCID: PMC10258229 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422001250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated stay-at-home orders resulted in a stark reduction in daily social interactions for children and adolescents. Given that peer relationships are especially important during this developmental stage, it is crucial to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social behavior and risk for psychopathology in children and adolescents. In a longitudinal sample (N=224) of children (7-10y) and adolescents (13-15y) assessed at three strategic time points (before the pandemic, during the initial stay-at-home order period, and six months later after the initial stay-at-home order period was lifted), we examine whether certain social factors protect against increases in stress-related psychopathology during the pandemic, controlling for pre-pandemic symptoms. Youth who reported less in-person and digital socialization, greater social isolation, and less social support had worsened psychopathology during the pandemic. Greater social isolation and decreased digital socialization during the pandemic were associated with greater risk for psychopathology after experiencing pandemic-related stressors. In addition, children, but not adolescents, who maintained some in-person socialization were less likely to develop internalizing symptoms following exposure to pandemic-related stressors. We identify social factors that promote well-being and resilience in youth during this societal event.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Makeda Mayes
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington-Seattle
| | - Liliana Lengua
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington-Seattle
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Lurie LA, Rosen ML, Weissman DG, Machlin L, Lengua L, Sheridan MA, McLaughlin KA. Cognitive stimulation as a mechanism linking socioeconomic status and neural function supporting working memory: a longitudinal fMRI study. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad545. [PMID: 38236725 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Childhood experiences of low socioeconomic status are associated with alterations in neural function in the frontoparietal network and ventral visual stream, which may drive differences in working memory. However, the specific features of low socioeconomic status environments that contribute to these disparities remain poorly understood. Here, we examined experiences of cognitive deprivation (i.e. decreased variety and complexity of experience), as opposed to experiences of threat (i.e. violence exposure), as a potential mechanism through which family income contributes to alterations in neural activation during working memory. As part of a longitudinal study, 148 youth between aged 10 and 13 years completed a visuospatial working memory fMRI task. Early childhood low income, chronicity of low income in early childhood, and current income-to-needs were associated with task-related activation in the ventral visual stream and frontoparietal network. The association of family income with decreased activation in the lateral occipital cortex and intraparietal sulcus during working memory was mediated by experiences of cognitive deprivation. Surprisingly, however, family income and deprivation were not significantly related to working memory performance, and only deprivation was associated with academic achievement in this sample. Taken together, these findings suggest that early life low income and associated cognitive deprivation are important factors in neural function supporting working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy A Lurie
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, United States
| | - Maya L Rosen
- Program in Neuroscience, Smith College, 44 College Lane, Northampton, MA 01073, United States
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
| | - David G Weissman
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
| | - Laura Machlin
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
| | - Lilliana Lengua
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, 3921 W. Stevens Way, Seattle, WA 98195, United States
| | - Margaret A Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, United States
| | - Katie A McLaughlin
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
- The Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health, University of Oregon, 2800 NE Liberty Street, Portland, OR 97211, United States
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11
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Harhen NC, Bornstein AM. Interval Timing as a Computational Pathway From Early Life Adversity to Affective Disorders. Top Cogn Sci 2024; 16:92-112. [PMID: 37824831 PMCID: PMC10842617 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Adverse early life experiences can have remarkably enduring negative consequences on mental health, with numerous, varied psychiatric conditions sharing this developmental origin. Yet, the mechanisms linking adverse experiences to these conditions remain poorly understood. Here, we draw on a principled model of interval timing to propose that statistically optimal adaptation of temporal representations to an unpredictable early life environment can produce key characteristics of anhedonia, a transdiagnostic symptom associated with affective disorders like depression and anxiety. The core observation is that early temporal unpredictability produces broader, more imprecise temporal expectations. As a result, reward anticipation is diminished, and associative learning is slowed. When agents with such representations are later introduced to more stable environments, they demonstrate a negativity bias, responding more to the omission of reward than its receipt. Increased encoding of negative events has been proposed to contribute to disorders with anhedonia as a symptom. We then examined how unpredictability interacts with another form of adversity, low reward availability. We found that unpredictability's effect was most strongly felt in richer environments, potentially leading to categorically different phenotypic expressions. In sum, our formalization suggests a single mechanism can help to link early life adversity to a range of behaviors associated with anhedonia, and offers novel insights into the interactive impacts of multiple adversities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora C. Harhen
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
| | - Aaron M. Bornstein
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
- Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine
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12
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O'Callaghan L, Foweather L, Crotti M, Oppici L, Pesce C, Boddy L, Fitton Davies K, Rudd J. Associations of physical activity dose and movement quality with executive functions in socioeconomically disadvantaged children aged 5-6 years. PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE 2024; 70:102546. [PMID: 37858876 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Growing up in areas of high deprivation can negatively impact children's movement behaviours and cognitive development. Enhancing the quantity and quality of children's movement experiences is believed to enhance cognitive development. This study investigated the association of three different modes of movement assessment, movement proficiency and divergent movement ability (collectively understood as motor competence) and PA dose with executive function in a low socio-economic demographic. Demographics, motor competence, and a combination of motor competence and physical activity were hypothesized to be significantly predictor of executive functions. METHOD In this cross-sectional study, 360 children aged 5-6 years from deprived areas were assessed using three movement assessments: wrist-worn accelerometery for physical activity dose, Test of Gross Motor Development-3 for movement proficiency, and divergent movement assessment. Executive function, including inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, was measured using the NIH Toolbox on an iPad. Multiple linear regression models were designed to evaluate the independent and combined association of demographics, movement competence and physical activity variables with executive function. RESULTS The regression analysis, with demographic factors only, explained 12% of EF variance (r2 = 0.12 95%CI 0.06-0.18). In addition to this demographics the model with divergent movement explained 19% of EF variance (r2 = 0.19 95% CI = 0.12-0.28), the model with movement proficiency explained 16% of EF variance (r2 = 0.16 95% CI = 0.08-0.26) and the model with PA dose explained 13% of EF variance (r2 = 0.13 95% CI = 0.07-0.20). In these models both divergent movement and proficiency were significant predictors, whilst physical activity variables were not. The final models, combining motor competence and physical activity variables, explained 24% and 23% of EF variance (r2 = 0.24 CI = 0.14-0.33 and r2 = 0.23 CI = 0.14-0.32). In these models, motor competence variables were significant predictors, and only vigorous physical activity and Euclidean Norm Minus One emerged as significant PA dose predictors. DISCUSSION These findings emphasise that motor competence and physical activity variables better predict executive functions when they are combined. When considered individually both motor competence variables were significant predictors of executive function whilst physical activity variables were not. Importantly, among the two movement competence facets, divergent movement assessment exhibited the strongest association with executive function. Future interventions should consider how to facilitate both movement and cognitive development in children. Future interventions should consider both the interplay of movement quality and quantity and the importance of environments that invite children's exploratory movement behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura O'Callaghan
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Lawrence Foweather
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Matteo Crotti
- Centre for Sport, Exercise and Life Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
| | - Luca Oppici
- Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Caterina Pesce
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Lynne Boddy
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Katie Fitton Davies
- School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - James Rudd
- Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway; Department of Sport, Food and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports, Western Norway University of Applies Sciences, Sogndal, Norway.
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13
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Cruz‐Rodríguez J, Canals‐Sans J, Hernández‐Martínez C, Voltas‐Moreso N, Arija V. Prenatal vitamin B12 status and cognitive functioning in children at 4 years of age: The ECLIPSES Study. MATERNAL & CHILD NUTRITION 2024; 20:e13580. [PMID: 37938197 PMCID: PMC10750008 DOI: 10.1111/mcn.13580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Maternal vitamin B12 deficiency has been associated with disturbed cognitive functioning in offspring at different ages during childhood. However, this association has not been explored in pre-school-age children. The objective of this study was to examine the association between maternal vitamin B12 levels at the beginning and end of pregnancy and cognitive functioning in their children at 4 years of age. This longitudinal prospective study included a subsample of pregnant women and their children aged 4 years (n = 249) who participated in the ECLIPSES Study conducted in the province of Tarragona, Spain, from 2013 to 2017. Maternal vitamin B12 concentrations were determined in the first and third trimesters, and sociodemographic, nutritional and psychological data were collected. The children's cognitive functioning was assessed using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-IV) and subtests of the Neuropsychological Assessment of Development (NEPSY-II). The multivariable models showed a significant relationship between vitamin B12 and the working memory index in the first trimester of the pregnancy but not in the third trimester. Children of mothers in the second vitamin B12 level tertile (314-413 pg/mL) (β = 6.468, 95% confidence interval [CI]: = 2.054, 10.882, p = 0.004) and third vitamin B12 level tertile (≥414 pg/mL) (β = 4.703, 95% CI: = 0.292, 9.114, p = 0.037) scored higher in the working memory index of the WPPSI-IV than the children of mothers with vitamin B12 levels in the first tertile (<314 pg/mL). Maintaining an adequate level of maternal vitamin B12 during early pregnancy contributes to improved performance in childhood working memory at 4 years of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Cruz‐Rodríguez
- Nutrition and Mental Health Research Group (NUTRISAM)Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)TarragonaSpain
| | - Josefa Canals‐Sans
- Nutrition and Mental Health Research Group (NUTRISAM)Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)TarragonaSpain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV)TarragonaSpain
- Centre de Recerca en Avaluació i Mesura de la Conducta (CRAMC), Department of PsychologyUniversitat Rovira i VirgiliTarragonaSpain
| | - Carmen Hernández‐Martínez
- Nutrition and Mental Health Research Group (NUTRISAM)Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)TarragonaSpain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV)TarragonaSpain
- Centre de Recerca en Avaluació i Mesura de la Conducta (CRAMC), Department of PsychologyUniversitat Rovira i VirgiliTarragonaSpain
| | - Núria Voltas‐Moreso
- Nutrition and Mental Health Research Group (NUTRISAM)Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)TarragonaSpain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV)TarragonaSpain
- Centre de Recerca en Avaluació i Mesura de la Conducta (CRAMC), Department of PsychologyUniversitat Rovira i VirgiliTarragonaSpain
| | - Victoria Arija
- Nutrition and Mental Health Research Group (NUTRISAM)Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)TarragonaSpain
- Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV)TarragonaSpain
- Institut d'Investigació en Atenció Primària IDIAP Jordi GolInstitut Català de la Salut (ICS)BarcelonaSpain
- Collaborative Research Group on Lifestyles, Nutrition and Smoking (CENIT)IDIAP Jordi GolReusSpain
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14
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Taylor EK, Abdurokhmonova G, Romeo RR. Socioeconomic Status and Reading Development: Moving from "Deficit" to "Adaptation" in Neurobiological Models of Experience-Dependent Learning. MIND, BRAIN AND EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL MIND, BRAIN, AND EDUCATION SOCIETY 2023; 17:324-333. [PMID: 38148924 PMCID: PMC10750966 DOI: 10.1111/mbe.12351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the strongest predictors of student reading outcomes, and these disparities have persisted for decades. Relatedly, two underlying skills that are required for successful reading-oral language and executive function (EF)-are also the two neurocognitive domains most affected by SES. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on how SES influences the neurobiology of language, EF, and their intersection, including the proximal factors that drive these relationships. We then consider the burgeoning evidence that SES systematically moderates certain brain-behavior relationships for language and EF, underscoring the importance of considering context in investigations of the neurobiological underpinnings of reading development. Finally, we discuss how disparities in reading may be conceptualized as neurobiological adaptations to adversity rather than deficit models. We conclude by suggesting that by harnessing children's stress-adapted relative strengths to support reading development, we may address opportunity gaps both ethically and efficaciously.
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15
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Tomasi D, Volkow ND. Effects of family income on brain functional connectivity in US children: associations with cognition. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:4195-4202. [PMID: 37580525 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02222-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Higher family income (FI) is associated with larger cortical gray matter volume and improved cognitive performance in children. However, little is known about the effects of FI on brain functional and structural connectivity. This cross-sectional study investigates the effects of FI on brain connectivity and cognitive performance in 9- to 11-years old children (n = 8739) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Lower FI was associated with decreased global functional connectivity density (gFCD) in the default-mode network (DMN), inferior and superior parietal cortices and in posterior cerebellum, and increased gFCD in motor, auditory, and extrastriate visual areas, and in subcortical regions both for girls and boys. Findings demonstrated high reproducibility in Discovery and Reproducibility samples. Cognitive performance partially mediated the association between FI and DMN connectivity, whereas DMN connectivity did not mediate the association between FI and cognitive performance. In contrast, there was no significant association between FI and structural connectivity. Findings suggest that poor cognitive performance, which likely reflects multiple factors (genetic, nutritional, the level and quality of parental interactions, and educational exposure [1]), contributes to reduced DMN functional connectivity in children from low-income families. Follow-up studies are needed to help clarify if this leads to reductions in structural connectivity as these children age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dardo Tomasi
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Nora D Volkow
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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16
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Matthys W. Commentary: Cognitive stimulation and executive functions in the prevention and treatment of childhood disorders - reflection on Phillips et al., 2023. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:1517-1519. [PMID: 37402653 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
The study by Phillips et al. (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2023) shows that preschool executive functions (EF) are a transdiagnostic mechanism through which deprivation increases the risk for psychopathology in adolescence. In addition, deprivation appeared to be a key mechanism through which economic adversity (i.e., lower income-to-needs ratio and maternal education) undermines EF and increases the risk for psychopathology in adolescence. In this commentary, implications for early prevention and treatment of childhood disorders are discussed. In view of optimal EF development attention is needed to cognitive and social stimulation both in: (a) selective prevention targeting preschool children at high risk for childhood disorders due to low socioeconomic status; (b) indicated prevention targeting preschool children with minimal but detectable symptoms from low socioeconomic status families; and (c) treatment targeting preschool children with a clinical disorder from low socioeconomic status families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Matthys
- Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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17
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Phillips EM, Brock RL, James TD, Nelson JM, Mason WA, Espy KA, Nelson TD. Does preschool executive control mediate the impact of early environmental unpredictability and deprivation on the general factor of psychopathology a decade later? J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:1505-1516. [PMID: 36872576 PMCID: PMC10911046 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although deprivation has been consistently shown to increase risk for psychopathology through impaired executive control, the unique effects of other dimensions of early adversity, such as unpredictability, on executive control development are poorly understood. The current study evaluated whether deprivation and/or unpredictability early in life have unique effects on the general factor of psychopathology through impaired preschool executive control. METHODS Participants included 312 children (51% female) oversampled for greater sociodemographic risk. Preschool executive control was measured using a battery of nine developmentally appropriate executive control tasks. Dimensions of adversity were measured with observational and caregiver assessments, and psychopathology was measured with caregiver and child reports. RESULTS In separate models, both deprivation and unpredictability had significant indirect effects on the adolescent general factor of psychopathology through impaired preschool executive control. However, when both dimensions of adversity were included simultaneously, early life deprivation, but not unpredictability, was uniquely associated with the general factor of psychopathology in adolescence through impaired preschool executive control. CONCLUSIONS Preschool executive control appears to be a transdiagnostic mechanism through which deprivation, but not unpredictability, increases risk for the general factor of psychopathology in adolescence. Results elucidate potential transdiagnostic targets for intervention efforts aimed at reducing the development and maintenance of psychopathology across the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Phillips
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Rebecca L Brock
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Tiffany D James
- Office of Research and Economic Development, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Jennifer Mize Nelson
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- Office of Research and Economic Development, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - W Alex Mason
- Department of Child, Youth, & Family Studies, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Kimberly Andrews Espy
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Texas Health San Antonio, Long School of Medicine, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Timothy D Nelson
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
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18
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Patiz B, Bayraktar S. Evaluation of neuropsychological characteristics and attention bias in juvenile offenders, juvenile victims, and juveniles who have not participated in the criminal justice system. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1229044. [PMID: 37731881 PMCID: PMC10507337 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1229044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The increasing inclusion of children in the criminal justice system as "juvenile offenders" and "juvenile victims" has recently emerged as a severe and multifaceted problem. This study evaluates whether juvenile offenders differ from juveniles who have not participated in the criminal justice system and juvenile victims regarding executive function skills and attentional bias. Method The participant group comprised 85 children aged 12-18, and the study setting was Turkey, utilizing one control group and two treatment groups with open criminal case files in Antalya Courthouse. The first treatment group consisted of 30 juvenile offenders; the second consisted of 30 juvenile victims. The control group consisted of 25 juveniles who were not juvenile offenders or victims. In this context, children's executive functions were measured with the short-form Barratt Impulsivity Scale, the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices Test, the TBAG-form Stroop test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and the Istanbul 5 Cube Planning Test. Attentional bias was measured using a dot-probe task. Illiteracy, intellectual or developmental disability, and being a non-native Turkish speaker were the exclusion criteria for all three groups. Results The study found that the scores of the juvenile offender group on the Barratt Impulsivity Scale were significantly higher than the children in the juvenile victim group and the children in the control group. For other tests measuring executive functions, the control group's scores were significantly higher than juvenile offenders and juvenile victims. Regarding attentional bias, the children in the control group exhibited less attentional bias to negative stimuli than the juvenile offenders and victims. Discussion Researchers have generally addressed the reasons that push children to crime and become victims of crime through individual, familial, and environmental reasons. However, the number of studies investigating the neuropsychological characteristics of children dragged into crime is relatively limited in our country. In addition, there is no study comparing the executive functions and attentional bias of children who are dragged into crime, victimized children, and children without a history of being dragged into crime and victimization. In this context, this study can highlight important implications for the judicial system regarding juvenile delinquency interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Büşra Patiz
- Directorate of Judicial Support and Victim Services, Antalya Courthouse, Antalya, Türkiye
| | - Seda Bayraktar
- Department of Psychology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye
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19
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Kasparek SW, Rosen ML, Lurie LA, Cikara M, Sambrook K, Cvencek D, Meltzoff AN, McLaughlin KA. Differentiating Between Us & Them: Reduced In-Group Bias as a Novel Mechanism Linking Childhood Violence Exposure with Internalizing Psychopathology. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2023; 51:961-975. [PMID: 36862283 PMCID: PMC9979122 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-023-01035-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Strong in-group bonds, facilitated by implicit favoritism for in-group members (i.e., in-group bias), promote mental health across development. Yet, we know little about how the development of in-group bias is shaped by early-life experiences. Childhood violence exposure is known to alter social information processing biases. Violence exposure may also influence social categorization processes, including in-group biases, in ways that influence risk for psychopathology. We examined associations of childhood violence exposure with psychopathology and behavioral and neural indices of implicit and explicit bias for novel groups in children followed longitudinally across three time points from age 5 to 10 years old (n = 101 at baseline; n = 58 at wave 3). To instantiate in-group and out-group affiliations, youths underwent a minimal group assignment induction procedure, in which they were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Youth were told that members of their assigned group shared common interests (in-group) and members of the other group did not (out-group). In pre-registered analyses, violence exposure was associated with lower implicit in-group bias, which in turn was associated prospectively with higher internalizing symptoms and mediated the longitudinal association between violence exposure and internalizing symptoms. During an fMRI task examining neural responses while classifying in-group and out-group members, violence-exposed children did not exhibit the negative functional coupling between vmPFC and amygdala to in-group vs. out-group members that was observed in children without violence exposure. Reduced implicit in-group bias may represent a novel mechanism linking violence exposure with the development of internalizing symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maya L Rosen
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
| | - Lucy A Lurie
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Mina Cikara
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kelly Sambrook
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Dario Cvencek
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Andrew N Meltzoff
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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20
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Claes N, Smeding A, Carré A. Socioeconomic status and social anxiety: attentional control as a key missing variable? ANXIETY, STRESS, AND COPING 2023; 36:519-532. [PMID: 36062467 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2022.2118723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The aim was to examine the role of attentional control as a psychological factor involved in socioeconomic status-related mental health differences, and specifically in social anxiety. Based on the literature on socioeconomic status differences in cognitive abilities and attentional control theory, we hypothesized that attentional control would account for the relation between socioeconomic status and social anxiety. We tested this hypothesis in an integrative model also including trait anxiety and subjective socioeconomic status. DESIGN Cross-sectional. METHOD Online, 439 French adults were recruited via social media. They completed self-reported measures of attentional control, objective socioeconomic status, subjective socioeconomic status, social anxiety, and trait anxiety. RESULTS Using Structural Equation Modelling, findings showed a positive association between objective (but not subjective) socioeconomic status and attentional control, which in turn was related to social anxiety. Exploratory analyses showed that only income, as objective socioeconomic status indicator, was associated with attentional control. CONCLUSIONS The current study is the first to support that low socioeconomic status individuals report less attentional control and more social anxiety symptoms. This suggests that attentional control is a psychological factor involved in social anxiety inequalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nele Claes
- Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Univ Grenoble Alpes, Chambéry, France
| | - A Smeding
- Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Univ Grenoble Alpes, Chambéry, France
| | - A Carré
- Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Univ Grenoble Alpes, Chambéry, France
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21
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Federico F, Mellone M, Volpi F, Orsolini M. Study of Alerting, Orienting, and Executive Control Attentional Networks in Bilingual and Monolingual Primary School Children: The Role of Socioeconomic Status. Brain Sci 2023; 13:948. [PMID: 37371426 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13060948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
For decades, researchers have suggested the existence of a bilingual cognitive advantage, especially in tasks involving executive functions such as inhibition, shifting, and updating. Recently, an increasing number of studies have questioned whether bilingualism results in a change in executive functions, highlighting conflicting data published in the literature. The present study compared the performance of third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade bilingual and monolingual children on attentional and cognitive tasks. The participants were 61 monolingual and 74 bilingual children (M = 114.6 months; SD = 8.48 months) who were tested on two versions of the attention network task (ANT), with and without social stimuli, as well as tests investigating working memory, short-term memory, narrative memory, and receptive vocabulary. Data on families' socioeconomic status and children's reasoning abilities were also collected. The results showed that bilingualism and socioeconomic status affected attentional networks in tasks involving social stimuli. In tasks involving non-social stimuli, socioeconomic status only affected the alerting and executive conflict networks. Consistent with the literature, a positive relationship emerged between socioeconomic status and executive control in the context of social stimuli, and a negative relationship emerged between socioeconomic status and the alerting network in the context of non-social stimuli. Interestingly, neither socioeconomic status nor social attentional networks correlated with working memory. Therefore, although more investigations are required, the results suggest that differences in social contexts mainly affect attentional functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Federico
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 78, Via Dei Marsi, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Mellone
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 78, Via Dei Marsi, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Ferida Volpi
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 78, Via Dei Marsi, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Margherita Orsolini
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 78, Via Dei Marsi, 00185 Rome, Italy
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22
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Weissman DG, Hatzenbuehler ML, Cikara M, Barch DM, McLaughlin KA. State-level macro-economic factors moderate the association of low income with brain structure and mental health in U.S. children. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2085. [PMID: 37130880 PMCID: PMC10154403 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37778-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Macrostructural characteristics, such as cost of living and state-level anti-poverty programs relate to the magnitude of socioeconomic disparities in brain development and mental health. In this study we leveraged data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study from 10,633 9-11 year old youth (5115 female) across 17 states. Lower income was associated with smaller hippocampal volume and higher internalizing psychopathology. These associations were stronger in states with higher cost of living. However, in high cost of living states that provide more generous cash benefits for low-income families, socioeconomic disparities in hippocampal volume were reduced by 34%, such that the association of family income with hippocampal volume resembled that in the lowest cost of living states. We observed similar patterns for internalizing psychopathology. State-level anti-poverty programs and cost of living may be confounded with other factors related to neurodevelopment and mental health. However, the patterns were robust to controls for numerous state-level social, economic, and political characteristics. These findings suggest that state-level macrostructural characteristics, including the generosity of anti-poverty policies, are potentially relevant for addressing the relationship of low income with brain development and mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Weissman
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | | | - Mina Cikara
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
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23
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Doebel S, Müller U. The Future of Research on Executive Function and Its Development: An Introduction to the Special Issue. JOURNAL OF COGNITION AND DEVELOPMENT 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2023.2188946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
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24
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Vrantsidis DM, Benkart RA, Neel ML, de Silva A, Maitre NL, Taylor HG. Associations of Parental Distress and Behavior with School Readiness in Children Born Very Preterm. J Pediatr Psychol 2023; 48:283-292. [PMID: 36708007 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsac090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Children born very preterm (VPT; gestational age [GA] <31 weeks) have robust school readiness difficulties relative to children born full-term (FT; GA ≥37 weeks). This study examined whether four aspects of parental well-being and behavior-distress, harshness, responsiveness and positive control, and cognitive stimulation-were linked to school readiness in a sample of children born VPT <31 weeks GA and whether these characteristics similarly impact VPT and FT children. METHODS Parents of 4-year-olds born VPT (n = 55) and FT (n = 38) reported on parental distress, behavior, and cognitive stimulation. Children's cognition, executive function, motor skills, preacademic abilities, and behavior were assessed via neuropsychological tests and parent-report questionnaires. RESULTS For both groups of children, higher psychological distress and harshness were associated with more behavior problems, and more cognitive stimulation was associated with higher scores on tests of cognitive, motor, and preacademic abilities. More parental distress was associated with lower cognitive ability only for children born VPT and more harshness was associated with lower preacademic skills only for children born FT. CONCLUSIONS Identifying modifiable family factors associated with school readiness in children born VPT is essential for informing family-based interventions to improve school readiness in this population. Findings suggest that distress, harshness, and cognitive stimulation may be reasonable targets for interventions to improve school readiness in children born VPT.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebekah A Benkart
- Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children's Hospital, USA
| | - Mary Lauren Neel
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Aryanne de Silva
- Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children's Hospital, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, USA
| | | | - H Gerry Taylor
- Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children's Hospital, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, USA
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25
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Werchan DM, Ku S, Berry D, Blair C. Sensitive caregiving and reward responsivity: A novel mechanism linking parenting and executive functions development in early childhood. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13293. [PMID: 35665988 PMCID: PMC9719571 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sensitive caregiving is an essential aspect of positive parenting that influences executive functions development, but the mechanisms underlying this association are less clear. Using data from the Family Life Project, a large prospective longitudinal sample of 1292 families residing in rural, predominately low-income communities, the current study examined whether sensitive caregiving impacts executive functions development by shaping behavioral reward processing systems in early postnatal life. Results indicated that higher levels of sensitive caregiving during infancy were associated with heightened reward responsivity at age 4, which in turn predicted superior executive functions ability at age 5. Notably, children's reward responsivity partially mediated the relationship between sensitive caregiving in infancy and executive functions ability at school entry. These findings add to prior work on early experience and children's executive functions and highlight caregiver scaffolding of developing reward processing systems as a potential foundational mechanism for supporting adaptive behavior and self-regulation across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise M Werchan
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Seulki Ku
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Daniel Berry
- Institute of Child Development, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Clancy Blair
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York City, New York, USA
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26
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Hendry A, Gibson SP, Davies C, McGillion M, Gonzalez-Gomez N. Toward a dimensional model of risk and protective factors influencing children's early cognitive, social, and emotional development during the COVID-19 pandemic. INFANCY 2023; 28:158-186. [PMID: 35993691 PMCID: PMC10086814 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Variation in infants' home environment is implicated in their cognitive and psycho-social development. The pandemic has intensified variations in home environments through exacerbating socioeconomic inequalities, and increasing psychological stressors for some families. This study investigates the effects of parental (predominantly maternal) mental health, enriching activities and screen use on 280 24- to 52-month-olds' executive functions, internalising and externalising problems, and pro-social behaviour; with socioeconomic status and social support as contextual factors. Our results indicate that aspects of the home environment are differentially associated with children's cognitive and psycho-social development. Parents who experienced sustained mental distress during the pandemic tended to report higher child externalising and internalising problems, and executive function difficulties at follow-up. Children who spent more time engaged in enriching activities with their parents showed stronger executive functions and social competence six months later. Screen use levels during the first year of the pandemic were not associated with outcomes. To mitigate the risk of persistent negative effects for this 'pandemic generation' of infants, our study highlights the importance of supporting parents' mental health. As our results demonstrate the impact of social support on mental health, investing in support services and interventions promoting building support networks are likely to be beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Hendry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Catherine Davies
- School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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27
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Zhao X, Zheng Q, Maes JHR. Educational mobility and older adults' working memory updating ability: association and role of resilience. Aging Ment Health 2022:1-8. [PMID: 36325945 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2022.2141194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Previous research revealed that a low childhood socioeconomic status, including low parental education, correlates with impaired executive functioning. However, there is a lack of research on the association of working memory updating (WMU) ability, which is one of the major components of executive functioning, and of resilience with educational mobility. The purpose of the present two studies was to further examine these associations. METHOD In Study 1, 180, 60-88-year old adults with different levels of educational mobility performed a WMU task. In Study 2, 130, 60-89-year old adults that had experienced different levels of upward educational mobility completed a WMU task and a resilience questionnaire. RESULTS Study 1 revealed that extent of educational mobility was significantly positively associated with WMU ability. Study 2 revealed significant positive associations among extent of educational mobility, resilience, and WMU task performance. CONCLUSION The results were discussed in terms of possible causal relations between the variables and implications for interventions that aim to enhance upward educational mobility and cognitive functioning in late adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhao
- School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qiaoping Zheng
- School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Joseph H R Maes
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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28
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Elliott L, Bachman HJ, Carvalho Pereira J, Coulanges L, Duong S, Montue T, Miller P, Libertus M, Votruba-Drzal E. Self-regulation in toddlers and the emergence of pre-academic disparities. Infant Behav Dev 2022; 69:101779. [PMID: 36274356 PMCID: PMC10184574 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of research has examined how children's self-regulation during early and middle childhood mediates SES disparities in academic achievement. Evidence suggests that these self-regulation skills begin developing even earlier, during the toddler years, but more work is needed examining how different measures of self-regulation relate to key constructs such as socioeconomic status (SES) and toddlers' pre-academic skills. In this online study, we examine multiple approaches to measuring self-regulation using confirmatory factor analyses and assess the extent to which self-regulatory skills help explain SES differences in early math and language skills among a sample of 158 two- and three-year-old children. Self-regulation was assessed through a battery of parent- and examiner-ratings. Children's counting, cardinality, and vocabulary skills were measured online through direct assessments and parent surveys. Two self-regulation factors emerged representing parent-reported and observational measures, and only observational measures of self-regulation mediated associations between SES and children's math and language skills. Parent-reported self-regulation was not uniquely related to SES or children's pre-academic skills, underscoring the need for careful consideration of how self-regulation is measured among toddlers when examining its associations with pre-academic skills.
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29
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Poon K, Ho MS, Chou KL. Executive functions as mediators between socioeconomic status and academic performance in Chinese school-aged children ☆. Heliyon 2022; 8:e11121. [PMID: 36339996 PMCID: PMC9626878 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It is well-documented that socioeconomic status (SES) and academic performance in school-aged children are closely related. However, little is known about how the three core executive functions (EFs), inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, mediate the association between the two. Moreover, most previous studies examined SES disparities in Western countries, how such disparities in EF and academic performance manifest in the Chinese context, where a distinctive EF profile and learning experience are observed, remains uncertain. The current study explored: (1) the mediating effects of the three core EFs in the association between SES and academic performance; and (2) the differences in EF and academic performance in three core subjects between Chinese children who are below and above the poverty line. Methods Of the 385 students sampled, 205 are in the low-SES group and 180 are in the middle-high SES group. Results A structural equation model showed that the SES-academic performance relationship was fully mediated by cognitive flexibility and working memory but not inhibition. Working memory was a much stronger mediator than cognitive flexibility, suggesting that working memory may correlate with childhood SES and academic performance in Chinese children. An analysis of covariance suggested that compared to the middle-high SES group, the low-SES group demonstrated poorer working memory and academic performance in all three subjects after controlling for age and IQ. Interestingly, children with low-SES were found to have better cognitive flexibility than children with middle-high SES. Conclusions These findings suggest that interventions targeting working memory may be an important area to improve children's academic performance. This study examined (1) the mediating effects of executive function in the association between socioeconomic status and academic performance; and (2) the differences in executive function and academic performance in three core subjects between Chinese children who are below and above the poverty line. Both socioeconomic status groups exhibited differences in cognitive flexibility, working memory, and academic performance in all three core subjects. The socioeconomic status-achievement relationship was mediated by cognitive flexibility and working memory but not inhibition. Working memory was a stronger mediator than cognitive flexibility in explaining academic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kean Poon
- School of Education, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia,Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong,Corresponding author.
| | - Mimi S.H. Ho
- Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Kee-Lee Chou
- Department of Asian and Policy Studies, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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30
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Sanders AFP, Baum GL, Harms MP, Kandala S, Bookheimer SY, Dapretto M, Somerville LH, Thomas KM, Van Essen DC, Yacoub E, Barch DM. Developmental trajectories of cortical thickness by functional brain network: The roles of pubertal timing and socioeconomic status. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 57:101145. [PMID: 35944340 PMCID: PMC9386024 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human cerebral cortex undergoes considerable changes during development, with cortical maturation patterns reflecting regional heterogeneity that generally progresses in a posterior-to-anterior fashion. However, the organizing principles that govern cortical development remain unclear. In the current study, we characterized age-related differences in cortical thickness (CT) as a function of sex, pubertal timing, and two dissociable indices of socioeconomic status (i.e., income-to-needs and maternal education) in the context of functional brain network organization, using a cross-sectional sample (n = 789) diverse in race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status from the Lifespan Human Connectome Project in Development (HCP-D). We found that CT generally followed a linear decline from 5 to 21 years of age, except for three functional networks that displayed nonlinear trajectories. We found no main effect of sex or age by sex interaction for any network. Earlier pubertal timing was associated with reduced mean CT and CT in seven networks. We also found a significant age by maternal education interaction for mean CT across cortex and CT in the dorsal attention network, where higher levels of maternal education were associated with steeper age-related decreases in CT. Taken together, our results suggest that these biological and environmental variations may impact the emerging functional connectome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley F P Sanders
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - Graham L Baum
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Michael P Harms
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sridhar Kandala
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Susan Y Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mirella Dapretto
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Leah H Somerville
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Kathleen M Thomas
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - David C Van Essen
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Essa Yacoub
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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31
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Carozza S, Holmes J, Astle DE. Testing Deprivation and Threat: A Preregistered Network Analysis of the Dimensions of Early Adversity. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:1753-1766. [PMID: 36074987 DOI: 10.1177/09567976221101045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite abundant evidence of the detrimental effects of childhood adversity, its nature and underlying mechanisms remain contested. One influential theory, the dimensional model of adversity and psychopathology, proposes deprivation and threat as distinct dimensions of early experience. In this preregistered analysis of data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), we used a network and clustering approach to assess the dimensionality of relationships between childhood adversity and adolescent cognition and emotional functioning, and we used recursive partitioning to identify timing effects. We found evidence that deprivation and threat are separate dimensions of adversity and that early experiences of deprivation cluster with later measures of cognition and emotional functioning. This cluster varies by age of exposure; it includes fewer forms of deprivation as children grow from infancy to middle childhood. Our measures did not form a specific cluster linking threat to emotional functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Carozza
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
| | - Joni Holmes
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge.,School of Psychology, University of East Anglia
| | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
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32
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Batistuzzo A, de Almeida GG, Brás TS, Zucato VP, Arnold AJT, Giannocco G, Sato JM, Yamanouchi LM, Dias E, Lorena FB, do Nascimento BPP, Bianco AC, Ribeiro MO. Multisensory Stimulation Improves Cognition and Behavior in Adult Male Rats Born to LT4-treated Thyroidectomized Dams. Endocrinology 2022; 163:bqac105. [PMID: 35914267 PMCID: PMC9354969 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqac105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Gestational hypothyroidism can impair development, cognition, and mood. Here, we tested whether multisensory stimulation (MS) improves the phenotype of rats born to surgically thyroidectomized (Tx) dams suboptimally treated with LT4. 8-week-old female Tx Wistar rats were kept on daily LT4 (0.7 µg/100 g body weight) dosed by gavage (serum TSH and T4 levels indicated moderate hypothyroidism) and 3 weeks later placed for breeding. MS of the litter started at age 60 days and lasted for 8 weeks. It consisted of twice per week of physical, cognitive, sensorial, and food stimuli. The offspring were assessed before and after MS for standardized tests of locomotor activity, cognition, and mood. Gestational hypothyroidism resulted in reduced litter size and increased offspring mortality. The pups exhibited delayed physical development, impairment of short- and long-term memory, and anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors. Nonetheless, ambulatory activity, social memory, and social preference were not affected by gestational hypothyroidism. MS restored short-term memory and anxiety while improving depressive like-behaviors. MS did not improve long-term memory. MS also did not modify the performance of control litter born to intact dams. We conclude that cognition and mood impairments caused by moderate gestational hypothyroidism were reversed or minimized in rats through MS. Further studies should define the molecular mechanisms involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Batistuzzo
- Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo SP 01302-907, Brazil
| | - Guilherme G de Almeida
- Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo SP 01302-907, Brazil
| | - Tayna S Brás
- Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo SP 01302-907, Brazil
| | - Victoria P Zucato
- Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo SP 01302-907, Brazil
| | - Alexandre J T Arnold
- Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo SP 01302-907, Brazil
| | - Gisele Giannocco
- Departamento de Medicina, Laboratório de Endocrinologia e Medicina Translacional, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP/EPM, e Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Diadema, SP 09972-270, Brazil
| | - Juliana M Sato
- Postgraduate Program in Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 04021-001, Brazil
| | - Laís M Yamanouchi
- Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo SP 01302-907, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Dias
- Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo SP 01302-907, Brazil
| | - Fernanda B Lorena
- Postgraduate Program in Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 04021-001, Brazil
| | - Bruna P P do Nascimento
- Postgraduate Program in Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP 04021-001, Brazil
| | - Antonio C Bianco
- Section of Adult and Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Miriam O Ribeiro
- Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Biological Sciences and Health, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo SP 01302-907, Brazil
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Weissman DG, Rosen ML, Colich NL, Sambrook KA, Lengua LJ, Sheridan MA, McLaughlin KA. Exposure to Violence as an Environmental Pathway Linking Low Socioeconomic Status with Altered Neural Processing of Threat and Adolescent Psychopathology. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 34:1892-1905. [PMID: 35104853 PMCID: PMC9329491 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Low childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with increased risk for psychopathology, in part because of heightened exposure to environmental adversity. Adverse experiences can be characterized along dimensions, including threat and deprivation, that contribute to psychopathology via distinct mechanisms. The current study investigated a neural mechanism through which threat and deprivation may contribute to socioeconomic disparities in psychopathology. Participants were 177 youths (83 girls) aged 10-13 years recruited from a cohort followed since the age of 3 years. SES was assessed using the income-to-needs ratio at the age of 3 years. At the age of 10-13 years, retrospective and current exposure to adverse experiences and symptoms of psychopathology were assessed. At this same time point, participants also completed a face processing task (passive viewing of fearful and neutral faces) during an fMRI scan. Lower childhood SES was associated with greater exposure to threat and deprivation experiences. Both threat and deprivation were associated with higher depression symptoms, whereas threat experiences were uniquely linked to posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Greater exposure to threat, but not deprivation, was associated with higher activation in dorsomedial pFC to fearful compared with neutral faces. The dorsomedial pFC is a hub of the default mode network thought to be involved in internally directed attention and cognition. Experiences of threat, but not deprivation, are associated with greater engagement of this region in response to threat cues. Threat-related adversity contributes to socioeconomic disparities in adolescent psychopathology through distinct mechanisms from deprivation.
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McLaughlin KA, Gabard-Durnam L. Experience-driven plasticity and the emergence of psychopathology: A mechanistic framework integrating development and the environment into the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) model. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND CLINICAL SCIENCE 2022; 131:575-587. [PMID: 35901389 PMCID: PMC9346621 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Despite the clear importance of a developmental perspective for understanding the emergence of psychopathology across the life-course, such a perspective has yet to be integrated into the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) model. In this paper, we articulate a framework that incorporates developmentally specific learning mechanisms that reflect experience-driven plasticity as additional units of analysis in the existing RDoC matrix. These include both experience-expectant learning mechanisms that occur during sensitive periods of development and experience-dependent learning mechanisms that may exhibit substantial variation across development. Incorporating these learning mechanisms allows for clear integration not only of development but also environmental experience into the RDoC model. We demonstrate how individual differences in environmental experiences-such as early life adversity-can be leveraged to identify experience-driven plasticity patterns across development and apply this framework to consider how environmental experience shapes key biobehavioral processes that comprise the RDoC model. This framework provides a structure for understanding how affective, cognitive, social, and neurobiological processes are shaped by experience across development and ultimately contribute to the emergence of psychopathology. We demonstrate how incorporating an experience-driven plasticity framework is critical for understanding the development of many processes subsumed within the RDoC model, which will contribute to greater understanding of developmental variation in the etiology of psychopathology and can be leveraged to identify potential windows of heightened developmental plasticity when clinical interventions might be maximally efficacious. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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35
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Luby JL, Rogers C, McLaughlin KA. Environmental Conditions to Promote Healthy Childhood Brain/Behavioral Development: Informing Early Preventive Interventions for Delivery in Routine Care. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 2:233-241. [PMID: 35855293 PMCID: PMC9291732 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental experiences early in life have strong and enduring consequences for cognitive, emotional, and neurobiological development and related physical and mental health trajectories. The powerful influence of early caregiver nurturance and stimulation on promoting positive neurodevelopmental outcomes has been demonstrated across species. These findings elucidate the environmental conditions known to facilitate healthy neurodevelopment and underscore the potential for modifiable psychosocial factors in the environment to be harnessed to inform early preventive interventions to promote health and adaptive development. A framework for early preventive interventions to enhance nurturing and responsive caregiving for implementation during early sensitive periods of brain development delivered within existing health or educational infrastructures is proposed. Emotional development during sensitive periods is an important, under-recognized, and abundantly modifiable predictor of mental and physical health outcomes that warrants investment of resources and integration of interventions into public health infrastructure for children worldwide. Future studies are needed to further clarify whether and when sensitive periods are present for key developmental domains to inform the optimal timing and targets of these interventions. Numerous available empirically supported early interventions may be modified and applied in briefer and more feasible modalities of delivery to broader populations of developing children. As well established in growth and development across species, essential environmental inputs that are particularly important at specified developmental periods facilitate optimal growth trajectories. Such principles hold great potential in application to early child neurodevelopment to facilitate a thriving and resilient human population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan L. Luby
- Department of Psychiatry (Child), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Cynthia Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry (Child), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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Lurie LA, Hangen EJ, Rosen ML, Crosnoe R, McLaughlin KA. Reduced growth mindset as a mechanism linking childhood trauma with academic performance and internalizing psychopathology. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022:105672. [PMID: 35610110 PMCID: PMC10028502 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the high prevalence of childhood adversity and well-documented associations with poor academic achievement and psychopathology, effective, scalable interventions remain largely unavailable. Existing interventions targeting growth mindset-the belief that personal characteristics are malleable-have been shown to improve academic achievement and symptoms of psychopathology in youth. OBJECTIVE The present study examines growth mindset as a potential modifiable mechanism underlying the associations of two dimensions of childhood adversity-threat and deprivation-with academic achievement and internalizing psychopathology. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Participants were 408 youth aged 10-18 years drawn from one timepoint of two longitudinal studies of community-based samples recruited to have diverse experiences of childhood adversity. METHOD Experiences of threat and deprivation were assessed using a multi-informant, multi-method approach. Youth reported on growth mindset of intelligence and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Parents provided information about youths' academic performance. RESULTS Both threat and deprivation were independently associated with lower growth mindset, but when accounting for co-occurring adversities, only the association between threat and lower growth mindset remained significant. Lower growth mindset was associated with worse academic performance and greater symptoms of both anxiety and depression. Finally, there was a significant indirect effect of experiences of threat on both lower academic performance and greater symptoms of anxiety through lower growth mindset. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that growth mindset could be a promising target for efforts aimed at mitigating the impact of childhood adversity on academic achievement and psychopathology given the efficacy of existing brief, scalable growth mindset interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy A Lurie
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States.
| | | | - Maya L Rosen
- Harvard University, United States; Smith College, United States
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Subjective Social Mobility among Migrant Children in China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095685. [PMID: 35565080 PMCID: PMC9104079 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Little scholarly attention has been paid to the relationship between children’s subjective social mobility and their “social ecology”. Children’s subjective social mobility is about how they perceive their future social position compared to their parents’. Social ecology refers to the influential multi-layered surrounding factors, including family, school, and community. We analyzed data from structured questionnaires completed by 2221 migrant children (1296 boys and 925 girls, with a mean age of 11.7 years) from three private schools in Guangzhou and Foshan, China. The findings indicate that participants anticipated a significant improvement in their future social status. Of the factors influencing this belief, community integration has the most significant impact (TE = 0.246), followed by school integration (TE = 0.220) and family socioeconomic status (TE = 0.053). We also found that children’s self-concept plays a role in their perceptions of social mobility. Based on the study results, we propose recommendations to provide migrant children additional protection and enhance their living environment.
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Ellis BJ, Sheridan MA, Belsky J, McLaughlin KA. Why and how does early adversity influence development? Toward an integrated model of dimensions of environmental experience. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:447-471. [PMID: 35285791 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Two extant frameworks - the harshness-unpredictability model and the threat-deprivation model - attempt to explain which dimensions of adversity have distinct influences on development. These models address, respectively, why, based on a history of natural selection, development operates the way it does across a range of environmental contexts, and how the neural mechanisms that underlie plasticity and learning in response to environmental experiences influence brain development. Building on these frameworks, we advance an integrated model of dimensions of environmental experience, focusing on threat-based forms of harshness, deprivation-based forms of harshness, and environmental unpredictability. This integrated model makes clear that the why and the how of development are inextricable and, together, essential to understanding which dimensions of the environment matter. Core integrative concepts include the directedness of learning, multiple levels of developmental adaptation to the environment, and tradeoffs between adaptive and maladaptive developmental responses to adversity. The integrated model proposes that proximal and distal cues to threat-based and deprivation-based forms of harshness, as well as unpredictability in those cues, calibrate development to both immediate rearing environments and broader ecological contexts, current and future. We highlight actionable directions for research needed to investigate the integrated model and advance understanding of dimensions of environmental experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce J Ellis
- Departments of Psychology and Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Margaret A Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jay Belsky
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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Berman IS, McLaughlin KA, Tottenham N, Godfrey K, Seeman T, Loucks E, Suomi S, Danese A, Sheridan MA. Measuring early life adversity: A dimensional approach. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:499-511. [PMID: 35314009 PMCID: PMC7613038 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to adversity in childhood is associated with elevations in numerous physical and mental health outcomes across the life course. The biological embedding of early experience during periods of developmental plasticity is one pathway that contributes to these associations. Dimensional models specify mechanistic pathways linking different dimensions of adversity to health and well-being outcomes later in life. While findings from existing studies testing these dimensions have provided promising preliminary support for these models, less agreement exists about how to measure the experiences that comprise each dimension. Here, we review existing approaches to measuring two dimensions of adversity: threat and deprivation. We recommend specific measures for measuring these constructs and, when possible, document when the same measure can be used by different reporters and across the lifespan to maximize the utility with which these recommendations can be applied. Through this approach, we hope to stimulate progress in understanding how particular dimensions of early environmental experience contribute to lifelong health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilana S. Berman
- Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | | | | | - Keith Godfrey
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
| | - Teresa Seeman
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles
| | - Eric Loucks
- School of Public Health, Mindfulness Center, Brown University
| | - Stephen Suomi
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
| | - Andrea Danese
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King’s College London
| | - Margaret A. Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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40
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Testing the empirical integration of threat-deprivation and harshness-unpredictability dimensional models of adversity. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:513-526. [PMID: 35256038 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Recent dimensional models of adversity informed by a neurobiological deficit framework highlights threat and deprivation as core dimensions, whereas models informed by an evolutionary, adaptational and functional framework calls attention to harshness and unpredictability. This report seeks to evaluate an integrative model of threat, deprivation, and unpredictability, drawing on the Fragile Families Study. Confirmatory factor analysis of presumed multiple indicators of each construct reveals an adequate three-factor structure of adversity. Theory-based targeted predictions of the developmental sequelae of each dimension also received empirical support, with deprivation linked to health problems and cognitive ability; threat linked to aggression; and unpredictability to substance use and sexual risk-taking. These findings lend credibility to utility of the three-dimensional integrative framework of adversity. It could thus inform development of dimensional measures of risk assessment and exploration of multidimensional adversity profiles, sensitive to individual differences in lived experiences, supporting patient-centered, strength-based approaches to services.
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Milovanović I, Gentile A, Popović-Stijačić M, Krneta Ž. Relationship between socioeconomic factors and intelligence of preschoolers: A cohort study in the Serbian context. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-00781-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Ram D, Mushtaq NF, Honnugudi BD, Alammar MA. Level and Relationships of Life Satisfaction with Cognitive Flexibility and Resilience in IT Professionals. Indian J Occup Environ Med 2022; 26:84-90. [PMID: 35991196 PMCID: PMC9384874 DOI: 10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_213_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Information Technology (IT) professionals commonly encounter occupation-related issues that adversely affect psychological health and well-being. Aim and Objective: To study the level and relationships of life satisfaction with cognitive flexibility and resilience in IT professionals. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 457 IT professionals were assessed with Sociodemographic proforma, Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS), Cognitive Resilience Scale (CRS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, ANOVA, and linear regression analysis. Results: The mean score on CRS was high (4.5), whereas on CFS was low (49.36). The mean score on SWLS was also low (17.36) particularly with widowed and disrupted family status, positively linked to the scoring of CFS & CRS, and negatively linked to hours of work. Conclusions: Among Indian IT professionals, cognitive flexibility and life satisfaction are low and influenced by family. Life satisfaction is proportionately linked to cognitive flexibility and resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dushad Ram
- College of Medicine, Shaqra University, Shaqra, KSA
| | - Neha Farheen Mushtaq
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, Karnataka, India
| | - Bramaramba D Honnugudi
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, Karnataka, India
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Tisborn K, Pelz JD, Schneider S, Seehagen S. The Mental Well-Being of Young Children and Families at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR ENTWICKLUNGSPSYCHOLOGIE UND PADAGOGISCHE PSYCHOLOGIE 2022. [DOI: 10.1026/0049-8637/a000253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. During the spring of 2020, the lockdown in Europe, enacted as a countermeasure to the COVID-19 pandemic, dramatically changed the social and daily life of young families. This online study explored the potential consequences of these unprecedented circumstances for the well-being of young German families. Caregivers completed a standardized questionnaire on their positive mental well-being and open-ended questions referring to their family situation and children. Although there is an emerging body of research describing pandemic-related outcomes in older children, little is known about its impact during early development. Hence, our analyses focused on a subset of caregivers of N = 798 children aged 0 to 23 months. Answers to open-ended questions revealed predominantly negative changes in their children and family life as a whole. During the lockdown, the well-being of the caregivers decreased. Taken together, the data show that social changes caused by the lockdown affected the well-being of young families. Potential mechanisms of stress transmission between parents and children are discussed.
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Alateeq H, Azuma T. Words Versus Pictures: Bilingual Performance on Verbal and Pictorial Measures of Executive Functions. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:1087-1103. [PMID: 35180004 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-21-00317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study examined bilinguals' performance on functional executive function map tasks such as the Zoo Map from the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome and the extent to which working memory, set-shifting, and inhibition measures predicted bilinguals' performance on these tasks. Additionally, we explored the utility of pictorial map tasks as a measure of complex executive function in bilinguals. We hypothesized that bilinguals would perform better on the pictorial map tasks due to the reduced language processing demand. METHOD The analyses included 131 bilingual young adults who completed a comprehensive language history questionnaire, an English proficiency test, a battery of working memory and executive function tasks, and verbal and pictorial map tasks. RESULTS Contrary to predictions, bilinguals' performance on the verbal maps did not differ significantly from that on the pictorial maps. Two multiple regression models significantly predicted performance on the verbal and pictorial maps, accounting for 7%-25% of the variance in the map scores. Working memory and interference control were the most prominent predictors within these models. CONCLUSIONS In our study, bilinguals' performance on the verbal maps did not differ significantly from that on the pictorial maps. Additionally, English proficiency did not correlate with the participants' verbal map scores. These results suggest that executive function map tasks (e.g., the Zoo Map) are a useful clinical tool for assessing executive function in bilinguals. The findings of this study are discussed in light of the current literature on executive functions in bilinguals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halah Alateeq
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Tempe
| | - Tamiko Azuma
- College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Tempe
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45
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Sheridan MA, McLaughlin KA. Introduction to the special issue on childhood adversity and neurodevelopment. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 54:101082. [PMID: 35153166 PMCID: PMC9019832 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Margaret A Sheridan
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, United States
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Hendry A, Gibson SP, Davies C, Gliga T, McGillion M, Gonzalez-Gomez N. Not all babies are in the same boat: Exploring the effects of socioeconomic status, parental attitudes, and activities during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic on early Executive Functions. INFANCY 2022; 27:555-581. [PMID: 35102670 PMCID: PMC9304249 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Early executive functions (EFs) lay the foundations for academic and social outcomes. In this parent‐report study of 575 UK‐based 8‐ to 36 month olds (218 followed longitudinally), we investigate how variation in the home environment before and during the 2020 pandemic relates to infants’ emerging EFs. Parent‐infant enriching activities were positively associated with infant Cognitive Executive Function (CEF) (encompassing inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility). During the most‐restrictive UK lockdown—but not subsequently—socioeconomic status (SES) was positively associated with levels of parent‐infant enriching activities. Parents who regard fostering early learning, affection, and attachment as important were more likely to engage in parent‐infant enriching activities, yet there was no significant pathway from parental attitudes or SES to CEF via activities. Infant screen use was negatively associated with CEF and Regulation. Screen use fully mediated the effect of SES on CEF, and partially mediated the effect of SES on regulation. Parental attitudes toward early learning, affection, and attachment did not significantly influence screen use. These results indicate that although parental attitudes influence the development of early EFs, interventions targeting attitudes as a means of increasing enriching activities, and thus EF are likely to be less effective than reducing barriers to engaging in enriching activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Hendry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Catherine Davies
- School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Teodora Gliga
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
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Ip KI, Sisk LM, Horien C, Conley MI, Rapuano KM, Rosenberg MD, Greene AS, Scheinost D, Constable RT, Casey BJ, Baskin-Sommers A, Gee DG. Associations among Household and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantages, Resting-state Frontoamygdala Connectivity, and Internalizing Symptoms in Youth. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 34:1810-1841. [PMID: 35104356 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to socioeconomic disadvantages (SED) can have negative impacts on mental health, yet SED are a multifaceted construct and the precise processes by which SED confer deleterious effects are less clear. Using a large and diverse sample of preadolescents (ages 9-10 years at baseline, n = 4038, 49% female) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, we examined associations among SED at both household (i.e., income-needs and material hardship) and neighborhood (i.e., area deprivation and neighborhood unsafety) levels, frontoamygdala resting-state functional connectivity, and internalizing symptoms at baseline and 1-year follow-up. SED were positively associated with internalizing symptoms at baseline and indirectly predicted symptoms 1 year later through elevated symptoms at baseline. At the household level, youth in households characterized by higher disadvantage (i.e., lower income-to-needs ratio) exhibited more strongly negative frontoamygdala coupling, particularly between the bilateral amygdala and medial OFC (mOFC) regions within the frontoparietal network. Although more strongly positive amygdala-mOFC coupling was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms at baseline and 1-year follow-up, it did not mediate the association between income-to-needs ratio and internalizing symptoms. However, at the neighborhood level, amygdala-mOFC functional coupling moderated the effect of neighborhood deprivation on internalizing symptoms. Specifically, higher neighborhood deprivation was associated with higher internalizing symptoms for youth with more strongly positive connectivity, but not for youth with more strongly negative connectivity, suggesting a potential buffering effect. Findings highlight the importance of capturing multilevel socioecological contexts in which youth develop to identify youth who are most likely to benefit from early interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka I Ip
- Yale University, New Haven, CT
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48
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Stucke NJ, Stoet G, Doebel S. What Are the Kids Doing? Exploring Young Children's Activities at Home and Relations with Externally Cued Executive Function and Child Temperament. Dev Sci 2022; 25:e13226. [PMID: 34989468 PMCID: PMC9540249 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Young children spend a lot of time at home, yet there is little empirical research on how they spend that time and how it relates to developmental outcomes. Prior research suggests less-structured time - where children practice making choices and setting goals - may develop self-directed executive function in 6-year-olds. But less-structured time may be related to executive function for other reasons - for example, because less-structured time provides opportunities to acquire conceptual knowledge relevant to using executive function on tasks. We thus tested the possibility that less-structured time is also related to younger children's externally cued executive function. In this remote online study, caregivers of 93 3- to 5-year-olds indicated the amount of time their child was typically spending in various activities while at home during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities were categorized as structured (primarily lessons with specific goals defined by adults or an app), less-structured (wide range of activities permitting choice and interaction with caregiver), passive (e.g., watching TV or videos), and primarily physical (e.g., bike riding). Children's externally cued executive function was assessed via the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS). Time and variety in less-structured activities were related to successful switching on the DCCS, controlling for age, family income, caregiver education, and verbal knowledge. Caregivers were more involved in less-structured versus structured activities. Caregiver ratings of children's temperament were related to how children's time was spent. These findings suggest several new avenues for studying young children's activities at home and their relations with developmental outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gijsbert Stoet
- Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
| | - Sabine Doebel
- Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
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49
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Rosen ML, Lurie LA, Sambrook KA, Meltzoff AN, McLaughlin KA. Neural mechanisms underlying the income-achievement gap: The role of the ventral visual stream. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 52:101025. [PMID: 34700196 PMCID: PMC8551593 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Children from low-socioeconomic status (SES) households on average exhibit lower academic achievement than their higher-SES peers. We investigated a novel hypothesis that differences in early-developing sensory networks-specifically the ventral visual stream (VVS), which is involved in processing visual stimuli-contribute to SES-related disparities in executive functions (EF) and academic outcomes. We used fMRI to investigate SES-related differences in neural function in children (6-8 years, n = 62) during two attentional tasks involving attention to visual information: cued attention and memory-guided attention. Recruitment of VVS during both tasks was associated with EF and academic achievement, and SES-related differences in VVS activation during cued attention were marginally explained by differences in cognitive stimulation. VVS activation during cued attention mediated SES-related differences in academic achievement. Finally, the link between VVS activation during both tasks and academic achievement was mediated by differences in EF. We extend previous work by highlighting that: (i) early-developing visual processing regions play a role in supporting complex attentional processes, (ii) childhood SES is associated with VVS function, which is explained in part by SES-related differences in cognitive stimulation and (iii) provide preliminary evidence that individual differences in VVS function may play a role in the emergence of the income-achievement gap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya L Rosen
- Harvard University, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Lucy A Lurie
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kelly A Sambrook
- Harvard University, Department of Psychology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Andrew N Meltzoff
- University of Washington, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA; University of Washington, Department of Psychology, Seattle, WA, USA
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50
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Barnes SP, Bailey R, Jones SM. Evaluating the Impact of a Targeted Approach Designed to Build Executive Function Skills: A Randomized Trial of Brain Games. Front Psychol 2021; 12:655246. [PMID: 34658989 PMCID: PMC8518708 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.655246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper reports results from an impact study of Brain Games (BGs), a classroom-based intervention designed to build preschool and school-aged children’s executive functions (EFs) and related self-regulation skills. The study employed a classroom-randomized, experimental design with 626 students in 36 pre-K through fourth grade classrooms in charter schools in a mid-sized urban district. In one set of models with child covariates, children in intervention classrooms showed marginal positive impacts on regulation-related behaviors, attention control and impulsivity, and negative effects on global EF and marginal increases in discipline problems. A second set of models with a smaller sample and both child and classroom covariates included indicate positive impacts of BGs on global EFs, prosocial behavior, and attention control and impulsivity. There were no significant impacts on the teacher–student relationship as reported by the teacher or on direct assessments of inhibitory control, short term and working memory, or another measure of global EF in either set of models. These promising findings offer a signal that implementation of targeted, easy to implement intervention approaches in classroom contexts can influence children’s regulation-related and prosocial outcomes, but this signal should be investigated further with larger and more tightly controlled designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie P Barnes
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Rebecca Bailey
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, United States
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