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Cited by 211Child Abuse and TraumaChild Welfare and AdoptionChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Executive Function Difficulties in Children: A Systematic Review

Lund, Jessie I., Toombs, Elaine, Radford, Abbey, Boles, Kara, Mushquash, Christopher·2020·Child Abuse & Neglect
DOI 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104485
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Abstract

BACKGROUND The relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and detrimental poor mental health outcomes has been increasingly explored within scientific literature since the original ACE study was published by Felitti et al. (1998). Given that deficits in executive functions (EF) are prominent in most forms of psychopathology across the lifespan, there is utility in considering how ACEs relate to EF outcomes. OBJECTIVE To consolidate the research to date on the relationship between ACEs and EF outcomes among child samples. METHODS A systematic review was conducted that included 16 scientific databases and 17 grey literatures. RESULTS Across 36 studies, many examined EF related to forms of maltreatment (e.g. abuse, neglect, and exposure to intimate partner violence) and found a strong relationship between maltreatment and EF deficits among children. Similarly, family member mental illness (maternal depression in particular) was associated with poor EF outcomes. The relationship between other ACEs and EF outcomes have not been uniquely examined, including intimate partner violence and family member incarceration. CONCLUSIONS This review acts as a preliminary step towards broader understanding of outcomes related to early childhood experiences through the consideration of EFs. Through documentation of such relationships, it is possible to consider how prevention and treatment approaches may be improved.

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  • General early adversity is linked to challenges with executive functioning, atypical behavioral development, and mental health concerns.

    “Furthermore, general early adversity has been linked to challenges with executive functioning (Lund et al., 2020), atypical behavioral development (Domoff et al., 2021; Howard et al., 2020; Ross et al., 2020; Wilke et al., 2020), and mental health concerns (Atluri et al., 2018; Pham et al., 2021).”

    From The relationship between spirituality and resilience and well-being: a study of 529 care leavers from 11 nations. (2023) · cites this paper as Lund et al., 2020

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Authors
Lund, J. I., Toombs, E., Radford, A., Boles, K., & Mushquash, C.
Affiliations
  • Lakehead University (CA)
  • Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (CA)
Corresponding author
Lund, Jessie I.
ORCID
Venue
Child Abuse & Neglect
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-08
Volume
106
Pages
104485
ISSN
0145-2134 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104485
OpenAlex
W3023074219
Semantic Scholar
70588ffb0eadf9c796c2b27687a5bbe7fdc3b8b9
Cited by
211
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 37 · 2025: 66 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 2
FWCI
1.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Child Abuse & Neglect (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
adverse childhood experiences, executive function, child abuse, child neglect, intimate partner violence exposure, maternal depression, child mental health, early childhood experiences
MeSH terms
Intimate Partner Violence, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Adult, Mental Disorders, Child, Child Abuse, Child, Preschool, Family, Humans, Male, Executive Function

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