The mediating effect of anxiety and depression on the association between adverse experiences and executive functioning in young adults

Juan Francisco Palomares Gómez, Anyerson Stiths Gómez Tabares, Catalina Gallego Montes

Abstract


Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with signs of anxiety and depression, but their relationship with executive functioning (EF) impairments is unclear.


Objective: To analyze the mediating effect of anxiety and depression on the association between adverse childhood experiences and executive functioning in a sample of young adults.


Methods: The researchers employed an analytical empirical approach, quantitative type, with a correlational scope through multivariate analysis. In a simple probability cluster sampling, 200 young adults from the city of Manizales (Colombia) were included. The average age was 22 years old, with a SD of 2.72, 77% were women. EF of working memory (WAIS-IV Working Memory Index), shifting (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test - WSCT), inhibitory control (Test of Colors and Words - STROOP), anxiety (Trait-State Anxiety Inventory - IDARE), depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II) and ACEs (Fellity ACEs Questionnaire) were measured.


Results: ACEs have strong and direct effects on anxiety and depression, moderate effects on executive functioning, and emotional variables have a weak impact on executive functioning. The indirect effects of ACEs on EF, mediated by anxiety and depression, were not significant. It was found that shifting was directly correlated with early exposure to living with people with depression, the working memory variable was inversely associated with sexual abuse, and the inhibitory control variable was inversely correlated with early exposure to living with substance abusers and living with people in conflict with the law.


Conclusion: ACEs have a direct and prolonged effect on emotional well-being, however, emotional factors alone may not mediate impairments in executive functioning.  Therefore, future research is invited to study the mediating effect of coping strategies such as resilience between ACEs and executive functioning.

Keywords


Adverse childhood experiences; Anxiety; Clinical psychology; Depression; Executive functioning; Neuropsychology.

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.13129/2282-1619/mjcp-4314

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