A study of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, life events, and executive function among college students in China

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences and life events on the inhibitory control ability, cognitive flexibility, and working memory of college students. Methods: The study involved testing the participants using the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Questionnaire, the Adolescent Life Events Scale (Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist, ASLEC), and the program of executive functions designed by E-prime software. Results: The incidence rate of ACEs was 44.8%. ACEs, life events, and inhibition ability were found to have a significant correlation (r1 = 0.50, r1 = 0.47, p < 0.01). In the switching task, the reaction time of the ACEs group was longer than the reaction time of the non-ACEs group (t = − 2.55, p < 0.05). Low scorers in the ASLEC exhibited lesser reaction times than their high-scoring counterparts in the tasks related to inhibition, switching, and working memory experiments. The regression analysis results showed that ACEs and life events had a possibility rate of 56% in predicting inhibition ability. Conclusions: The incidence of ACEs was found to be high, and cognitive flexibility is significantly influenced by ACEs. Life events have a significant impact on inhibition ability, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. ACEs and life events were found to be reliable predictors of inhibition ability.

The Effects of COVID-19 Traumatic Stress on Executive Functions: The Case of Syrian Refugees in Turkey

“…positively or negatively) executive functions (EFs) was the focus of interdisciplinary studies. In traumatic stress research, the focus was mostly on the impact of early childhood trauma(e.g., DePrince et al, 2009;Ji & Wang, 2018;Majer et al, 2010;Mirabolfathi et al, 2020;Moreno-Manso et al, 2020;Mothes et al, 2015;Op den Kelder et al, 2018;Spies et al, 2016). However, a recent study found that executive exposure to threats, regardless of trauma types, impaired executive functions for those only who negatively appraise such threats (Newman et al, 2020).…”

The crisis of COVID-19 and opportunities for reimagining education

“…The aspect that concerns us here is that of executive functioning, or, simply, executive function. Executive function includes higher order processes-working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility-that enable complex decision-making goal-directed behaviour, and the development of key cognitive and socioemotional skills (Ibrahimet al, 2017;Ji & Wang, 2018;Logue & Gould, 2014). Executive function refers, essentially, to the psychological processes that consciously control thought and action (Zelazo & Müller, 2011).…”

“…It has come to underline the importance of understanding executive function better. The ability to adapt through goal-directed behaviour and regulation of reflexive reactions is based on executive function (Ji & Wang, 2018;Logue & Gould, 2014).…”

“…It is not just in early life, however, that life events exert an impact on executive function. Using a sample of 700 university students, Ji and Wang (2018) showed that recent stressful life events had a negative impact on participants' performance on three executive function tasks compared to their peers who had not experienced such events. In contrast, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impacted performance on only one task, although this may need further exploration given the diversity of these experiences.…”

The direct and indirect impact of trauma types and cumulative stressors and traumas on executive functions

“…The impact of exposure to stressors and traumatic events and their mental health consequences on executive functions (EFs) attracted scholars' attention. However, the focus was mostly on the impact of early childhood trauma(e.g., DePrince et al, 2009;Ji & Wang, 2018;Majer et al, 2010;Mirabolfathi et al, 2020;Moreno-Manso et al, 2020;Mothes et al, 2015;Op den Kelder et al, 2018;Spies et al, 2016). Other general and specific trauma types did not attract as much attention.…”