Perturbations to self-regulation and attentional control as a function of adverse childhood experiences

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Self-regulation, a collection of skills involved in the successful completion of goal-directed activity, shows wide individual variation. Poor self-regulation during adolescence and young adulthood have been associated with both externalizing (e.g., risk-taking and substance use) and internalizing behaviors (e.g., anxiety, depression), as well as poor academic achievement, outcomes which themselves have pronounced individual and societal repercussions. Further, childhood and adolescence are behaviorally and neurophysiologically sensitive developmental time periods for stress exposure. Children reared in toxic environments are at an increased risk for physical and mental ill health in adulthood. The proposed research program will investigate individual differences in prefrontal cortex functioning, a brain region integral to self-regulation, alongside measures of day-to-day self-regulation, and adverse childhood experiences. We aim to more fully characterize the relationships among these variables and to determine the earliest stage of information processing where hypothesized effects exist. Isolating the precise timing of the effects of adverse childhood experiences on information processing will allow for more effective interventions in populations where self-regulation is impaired. The research team will investigate the subjective impact of the stressful experience, the participant's level of resilience, and the timing of the exposure, all factors which are believed to impact outcomes.