The Relationship Between Early Life Adversity and Academic Competence in Early Childhood

Abstract

It is well-documented that early life adversity negatively affects children academically and that these impacts magnify as the number of negative life events (NLEs) they experience increases. However, it is unclear whether the types of NLEs children are exposed to differentially relate to their levels of academic competence, a component of educational functioning. The present study addressed this question by assessing the relationships between different types of early life adversity and academic competence in 4- to 6-year-olds (N = 111) using secondary data analyses of parent reports in which respondents indicated children’s levels of academic competence and exposure to NLEs. The results showed that family turmoil (b = –2.31, 95% CI [–4.05, –0.57], p = .01, f2 = .07), poverty (b = –2.92, 95% CI [–4.31, –1.53], p < .001, f2 = .16), and violence (b = –3.43, 95% CI [–5.14, –1.73], p