Economic, social, and physiological resilience predict brain structure and cognitive performance in 9 - 10-year-old children

Abstract

While children with economic disadvantage are at risk for poorer outcomes in cognitive and brain development, less understood is the contribution of other factors in the broader socioeconomic context that may more closely index the underlying mechanisms influencing risk and resilience. We examined brain structure and cognitive test performance in association with economic disadvantage and 22 measures in the broader socioeconomic context among n = 8,158 demographically diverse 9-10-year-old children from the ABCD Study. Total cortical surface area and total cognition scores increased as a function of income-to-needs, with the steepest differences most apparent among children below and near poverty relative to their wealthier peers. We found three latent factors encompassing distinct relationships among our proximal measures, including social, economic, and physiological well-being, each associated with brain structure and cognitive performance independently of economic advantage. Our findings will inform future studies of risk and resilience in developmental outcomes for children with economic disadvantage.