Exploring pathways linking early childhood adverse experiences to reduced preadolescent school engagement

Cross-sectional studies link adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with school disengagement, contributing to chronic absenteeism and underachievement.

This prospective longitudinal study explored malleable mediators that might account for the developmental progression from early childhood ACEs to preadolescent school disengagement. Negative cascades were tested that explored student-teacher relationship quality and child behavior problems (internalizing and externalizing) as potential mediators.

556 children were recruited from Head Start preschool classrooms (M_age = 4.67 years old, SD = 0.32; 51% female; 58% European American, 25% African American, 19% Latinx) at which time parents reported on ACEs.

Children were followed longitudinally; kindergarten and third grade teachers rated student-teacher relationship quality and classroom behavior problems. Students described their school engagement (i.e., academic involvement, school bonding, and teacher affiliation) in fifth grade as they prepared for the transition into middle school.

Path models documented a mediated cascade linking early childhood ACES through poor kindergarten student-teacher relationship quality to elevated third grade internalizing problems (mediation path β = 0.018, SE = 0.009, p < 0.05) which, in turn, led to reduced fifth-grade school engagement (mediation path β = 0.027, SE = 0.014, p = 0.05). Early childhood ACEs also predicted elevated externalizing problems in elementary school, but without mediation by student-teacher relationship quality or link to fifth-grade school engagement.

Results are discussed in light of understanding developmental processes that link early ACEs with school difficulties and informing the design of preventive interventions for children at risk.