Developmental cascades from socioeconomic adversity to psychopathology via executive functioning and emotion regulation

• In Event: The effect of family and community stress on youth executive functioning and psychopathology

Abstract

Children and adolescents from families with lower socioeconomic status (SES) are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop mental health problems relative to those from higher SES families (Reiss, 2013). However, there is a lack of longitudinal investigations that elucidate the progression from socioeconomic adversity to psychopathology outcomes, particularly in adolescence. Given that the developmental period of adolescence is characterized by maturation of the prefrontal cortex, we considered how self-regulatory abilities may mediate the relationship between SES and psychopathology. Previous work has demonstrated that low SES can compromise executive functioning (EF; Lawson et al., 2013). In turn, abilities that rely on effective EF, such as emotion regulation, may also be diminished (Nigg, 2017). Thus, our prospective longitudinal study sought to test the cumulative effects of SES, EF, and emotion regulation on adolescent psychopathology (internalizing and externalizing symptomatology). We hypothesized that lower SES at Time 1 would predict lower EF at Time 2, which would cascade into greater difficulties with emotion regulation at Time 3 and heightened internalizing and externalizing symptomatology at Time 4.
In a sample of 167 adolescents (Mage = 14.07 years at Time 1, 53% males) and their primary caregivers, we tested a longitudinal structural equation model to examine the indirect effect of SES at Time 1 on psychopathology at Time 4 (three years later) via EF and emotion regulation. SES was operationalized as a composite of family income-to-needs ratio and parents’ years of education. At Time 2, adolescents completed three EF tasks, including an inhibitory control task, a working memory task, and an attention shifting task. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to calculate EF factor scores based on performance on these three tasks. At Time 3, adolescents reported on their ability to regulate when feeling distressed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004). Symptomatology scores were averaged between parent report on the Child Behavior Checklist and adolescent report on the Youth Self-Report. The final model (controlling for the effect of gender on psychopathology outcomes) demonstrated excellent fit (2 = 3.00, p = .39, RMSEA = .001, CFI = 1.00). Results indicated that lower SES at Time 1 predicted lower EF at Time 2, which in turn predicted greater difficulty regulating emotions at Time 3 and extended to higher internalizing and externalizing symptomatology at Time 4 (Figure 1). The indirect effect of SES on both internalizing (b = -0.001, SE = 0.001, β = -.01, 95% CI [-.04, -.002]) and externalizing (b = -0.001, SE = 0.001, β = -.02, 95% CI [-.06, -.003]) symptomatology was significant, suggesting that EF and emotion regulation abilities may explain the link between SES and psychopathology. We will discuss the implications of socioeconomic adversity for adolescent development of cognition and subsequent psychopathology, pointing to potential targets for intervention and prevention efforts.

Group Authors

Brieant, A., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J.

Authors

• Alexis Brieant, Yale University
  Presenting Author

• Brooks King-Casas, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jungmeen Kim-Spoon, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author