Childhood socioeconomic deprivation, but not current mood, is associated with behavioural disinhibition in adults

Abstract

There is evidence to suggest that impulsivity is predicted by socioeconomic background, with people from more deprived backgrounds tending to be more impulsive, and by current mood, with poorer mood associated with greater impulsivity. However, impulsivity is not a unitary construct, and previous research in this area has focused on measures of ‘waiting’ impulsivity rather than behavioural disinhibition. We administered a standard measure of behavioural disinhibition, the stop-signal task, to 58 adult participants from a community sample. We had measured socioeconomic background using participant postcode at age 16, and assigned participants to receive either a neutral or a negative mood induction. We found no effects of mood on behavioural disinhibition, but we found a significant effect of socioeconomic background. Participants with more deprived postcodes at age 16 showed longer stop-signal reaction times, and hence greater behavioural disinhibition. The pattern was independent of participant age and overall reaction time. Greater behavioural disinhibition may be a consequence of experiencing childhood socioeconomic deprivation, and could play a role in maintaining social gradients in outcomes such as addiction.

Human Capital and Administrative Burden: The Role of Cognitive Resources in Citizen‐State Interactions

“…For example, early life experiences of scarcity have long‐lasting effects on people's executive functioning. Meta‐analyses show a medium‐size correlation between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and executive functioning in children (Lawson, Hook, and Farah ) as well as executive functioning in adult life (Mittal et al , 10; Paál, Carpenter, and Nettle ). In the face of current economic uncertainty, adults “who grew up in lower‐SES environments were more impulsive, took more risks, and approached temptations more quickly” (Griskevicius et al , 197).…”

Cognition in harsh and unpredictable environments

“…$5 now versus $10 next month) and earlier reproduction [33]. In a UK community sample, adults who had lived in more deprived neighborhoods at age 16 show greater behavioral disinhibition [34]. In Brazil, favela youth discount the future more than university students from more affluent neighborhoods [35] and less well off students choose careers that offer quicker returns and require smaller investments than wealthier students [36].…”

Stress, domination and basic income: considering a citizens’ entitlement response to a public health crisis

“…236-237). These patterns focus on short-term interests, increasing impulsive, sensory and hedonistic behaviour (see Frankenhuis, Panchanathan and Nettle, 2016, p. 76;Páal, Carpenter and Nettle, 2015). Adams et al, for example, found that 'Greater anticipated survival was cross-sectionally associated with lower likelihood of smoking, and higher physical activity levels', while 'Lower anticipated survival was associated with decreased probability of adopting healthier patterns of physical activity, and increased probability of becoming a smoker at follow up' (2015, p. 1).…”