Exploring Parenting as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Executive Function

Self-regulation is an important developmental task and predictor of future health and success in life. Executive function (EF), considered the neurological substrate of self-regulation, describes late-developing cognitive skills controlled by the prefreontal cortex involved in goal-directed behavior. Well-described socioeconomic differences in EF are thought to contribute to health disparities and intergenerational transmission of poverty. How the environment may facilitate development of these skills has yet to be elucidated. This exploratory analysis investigated various parenting behaviors as modifiers of the socioeconomic gradient of EF. Participants included 60 parent-child dyads with children aged 7-12 years. Income-to-needs ratio (ITNR) was used as an indicator of SES. Children completed three EF tasks that broadly tested cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control. Six variables of parenting were evaluated during observed parent-child interactions. ANOVA revealed near statistically significant variance of cognitive flexibility by dyadic positive affect (p=0.06, df=58, R2=0.124), working memory by parent positive responsiveness (p=0.07, df=58, R2=0.120), and inhibitory control by quality of parent assistance (p=0.08, df=57, R2=0.115). INTR differed significantly by quality of parent assistance (p=0.02, df=58, R2=0.171). Linear regression analysis demonstrated a positive relationship between increasing INTR and inhibitory control (p=0.009, β=1.51, 95% CI=0.40, 2.63, R2=0.114). There was no evidence that parent assistance modified this relationship. Findings demonstrate associations between parenting behavior, EF, and SES. Although causality has yet to be demonstrated, there is evidence to suspect that interventions targeting parenting could enhance EF development, positively alter developmental trajectories, and improve future life outcomes, particularly for low SES children.