Abstract
Despite previous studies showing that children’s development of executive function (EF) skills is associated with the differing contexts in which children live, evidence about the independent and synergistic effects of families and neighborhoods is limited. Using a sample from a two-cohort longitudinal study of preschoolers from low-income families, we examined whether residential neighborhood resources (measured with the Child Opportunity Index (COI)) moderated the relationship between family cumulative risk and the growth trajectory of children’s EF skills. Results from conditional growth curve models indicate family cumulative risk was negatively related to baseline EF skills and the rate of EF skill growth. In contrast, the overall COI and the COI social and economic domain z-score were positively associated with the initial, but not linear, growth of EF skills. We found no evidence of moderator effects. Policies that aim to better target and support the most vulnerable children should consider the unique contribution of family risks and neighborhood resources to child development.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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This work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under award number 2R01HD051498-06A1.
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This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board for Social and Behavioral Sciences of University of Virginia (No. 2015–0443-000).
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Cubides-Mateus, D.M., LoCasale-Crouch, J. & Turnbull, K.L.P. Do Neighborhood Resources Mitigate Family Risk to Preschool Children’s Executive Function Skills Growth?. Prev Sci 24, 115–125 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-022-01480-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-022-01480-3