Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to adult cognitive outcomes and heightened exposure to psychosocial stress. However, cognitive performance varies substantially among adults with high ACE exposure, highlighting the potential role of resilience across the lifespan.
Forty middle-aged and older adult females (M = 55.05, SD = 9.68) completed a ten-item ACEs questionnaire (Felitti et al., 1998), and a ten-item everyday discrimination scale (Michaels et al., 2020). Participants were invited to the lab to participate in a study where they completed cognitive performance testing using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery and Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics. Cognitive performance was summarized using a fully norm-corrected composite T score adjusting for age, sex, and education. Linear regression models examined associations between ACE count and cognitive performance and perceived discrimination. An exploratory model assessed whether perceived discrimination was independently associated with cognition when considered alongside ACE exposure.
Higher ACE exposure was associated with higher composite cognitive performance, β = −.31, p = .03, explaining 10.3% of the variance in cognition. Higher ACE exposure was also independently associated with higher levels of perceived discrimination β = −.58, p < .001, explaining 31.6% of the variance in everyday perceived discrimination. Higher ACE exposure was associated with both better cognitive performance and greater perceived discrimination in midlife and older women. Variability in cognitive outcomes among women with similar ACE exposure is consistent with resilience frameworks and underscores the importance of identifying psychosocial and contextual factors that may support cognitive and psychological health across the lifespan.

Authors:
Cindy Tsotsoros, University of Rhode Island, United States
Ileana De Anda-Duran, Tulane University, United States
Karina Tavares, University of Rhode Island, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Cindy Tsotsoros is an Assistant Professor of HDF at the University of Rhode Island. Her current research project examines the efficacy of a widely used over-the-counter supplement marketed toward older adults to improve cognition.

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