57 Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences on Depression and Anxiety in Adulthood: Examining the Role of Cognitive Flexibility

• Published in: Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 2023-11, Vol.29 (s1), p.842-843
• Main Authors: Lobo, Rosario Pintos, Nuccio, Alexandria G., Goodman, Zachary T., Merritt, Stacy S., Sun, Xiaoyan, McInerney, Katalina F., Levin, Bonnie E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adverse childhood experiences; Age; Anxiety; Childhood; Children; Cognitive ability; Correlation analysis; Demography; Flexibility; Mental depression; Mood & Anxiety Disorders; Neurological diseases; Poster Session 09: Psychiatric Disorders | Mood & Anxiety Disorders | Addiction | Social Cognition | Cognitive Neuroscience | Emotional and Social Processing; Psychopathology; Statistical analysis
• ISSN: 1355-6177; 1469-7661
• DOI: 10.1017/S1355617723010433

Objective:The association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adult depression and anxiety has been well described (Aafjes-van Doorn et al., 2020; Dolbier et al., 2021; Herzog & Schmahl, 2018). However, cognitive flexibility, as a potential moderating factor of this relationship, has been underreported (Kalia et al., 2021). We hypothesize that increased ACEs will be associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety, and cognitive flexibility will exhert a moderating role in this relationship.Participants and Methods:Participants from the Evelyn F. McKnight University of Miami Frailty Registry were included in the study. 224 adults (Mage= 66.30, SD = 11.63; 59.4% female; 62.1% Hispanic/Latinx) without primary neurological disorders were recruited from University of Miami clinics and community centers. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and neuropsychological evaluation including the Adverse Childhood Experiences inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Current data were initially analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlations among variables. A series of hierarchical multiple linear regressions (HLR) were conducted to examine the effect that age has on cognitive flexibility (measured by number of perseverative errors on the WCST), as well as the association between number of ACEs endorsed on symptoms of depression and anxiety in late life.Results:Correlation analyses revealed a negative correlation between total ACE score and cognitive flexibility (r=-.16, p=0.03); a positive correlation between age and cognitive flexibility (r=0.19, p=0.01); and positive relationships between ACE score and both BDI (r=0.35, p