Executive function as a mechanism linking socioeconomic status to internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in children and adolescents

IntroductionThe association between low socioeconomic status (SES) in childhood and increased risk for psychopathology is well established, but the mechanisms explaining this relationship are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the potential role of difficulties in executive functioning (EF) as a mechanism linking childhood and adolescent SES with externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. MethodsWe examined whether difficulties with EF mediated the association between SES and externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in two cross-sectional samples of children and adolescents (Study 1: N=94, ages 6-18, 51.1% male; Study 2: N=259, ages 8-16, 54.1% male) from diverse SES backgrounds in the United States. EF was measured through behavioral tasks and parent-reported behavioral regulation (BR). ResultsIn both samples, children and adolescents from lower SES families were more likely to experience both externalizing and internalizing psychopathology than youth from more advantaged backgrounds and exhibited greater EF difficulties – they had lower performance on a task measuring inhibitory control and lower parent-rated BR. Reduced inhibitory control and BR, in turn, were associated with higher externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. In Study 1, difficulties with BR mediated the association of low-SES with both externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. In Study 2, low inhibitory control mediated the association between low-SES and externalizing psychopathology. These findings largely persisted after adjusting for exposure to violence, a form of adversity that is common in children from low-SES backgrounds. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that reduced EF may be an underlying mechanism through which low-SES confers risk for psychopathology in children and adolescents.

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Victimization and internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in adolescents

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e523472012-180 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Claudia Paretilla Guardi ◽

Laia Soler Corbella ◽

Maria Forns i Santacana ◽

Teresa Kirchner Nebot ◽

Noemi Pereda Beltran

Keyword(s):

Externalizing Psychopathology ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing

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Folate and Cobalamin Serum Levels in Healthy Children and Adolescents and Their Association with Age, Sex, BMI and Socioeconomic Status

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13020546 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 546

Author(s):

Paulina Kreusler ◽

Mandy Vogel ◽

Anja Willenberg ◽

Ronny Baber ◽

Yvonne Dietz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Population Based ◽

Research Centre ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Lms Method ◽

Healthy Participants ◽

Age And Sex

This study proposes age- and sex-specific percentiles for serum cobalamin and folate, and analyzes the effects of sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and socioeconomic status (SES) on cobalamin and folate concentrations in healthy children and adolescents. In total, 4478 serum samples provided by healthy participants (2 months–18.0 years) in the LIFE (Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases) Child population-based cohort study between 2011 and 2015 were analyzed by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA). Continuous age-and sex-related percentiles (2.5th, 10th, 50th, 90th, 97.5th) were estimated, applying Cole’s LMS method. In both sexes, folate concentrations decreased continuously with age, whereas cobalamin concentration peaked between three and seven years of age and declined thereafter. Female sex was associated with higher concentrations of both vitamins in 13- to 18-year-olds and with higher folate levels in one- to five-year-olds. BMI was inversely correlated with concentrations of both vitamins, whilst SES positively affected folate but not cobalamin concentrations. To conclude, in the assessment of cobalamin and folate status, the age- and sex-dependent dynamic of the respective serum concentrations must be considered. While BMI is a determinant of both vitamin concentrations, SES is only associated with folate concentrations.

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