Background
A large proportion of children in low‐ and middle‐income countries are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), increasing the risk of poor physical and mental development. The Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology proposes that deprivation and threat have distinct effects on child executive functioning (EF), but longitudinal evidence, particularly in low‐ and middle‐income countries, remains limited. We examined associations between deprivation, threat and their subtypes with child EFs in Brazil.
Methods
We analysed data from over 2,000 children aged 4 and 6–7 years from a population‐based birth cohort in Pelotas, Brazil. ACEs were assessed at age 4 using caregiver questionnaires and filmed observations. Composite exposure scores for deprivation, threat and their subtypes were generated using principal component analysis. Composite EF outcome scores were similarly derived from measures of inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and working memory at ages 4 and 6–7. Associations were estimated using adjusted linear regression models.
Results
Total deprivation was associated with lower EF scores at both ages, as were separate indices of material and interactional deprivation. Children in the highest versus lowest tertile of total deprivation had EF scores 0.67 standard deviations lower at age 6–7 years (
β
= −0.67; 95% CI: −0.78, −0.56). Total threat (highest versus lowest tertile:
β
= −0.28; 95% CI: −0.39, −0.17; 6–7 anos) and direct threat were also associated with lower EF scores at both ages, whereas household threat showed no evidence of association.
Conclusions
Deprivation and threat in early childhood were both associated with lower executive function scores at school entry, with material deprivation and direct threat showing the strongest associations within their respective domains. These findings extend the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology and highlight the importance of socioeconomic and trauma‐informed strategies to support children exposed to adversity.
