Unraveling the Relation Between Family Cumulative Risk and Preschool Academic Performance: The Mediating Role of Executive Function

Based on the cumulative risk framework, this study examines the relative contributions and mediating roles of different components of executive function in the relation between family cumulative risk and academic achievement in preschoolers. A total of 225 children (122 boys) underwent assessments of executive function and academic performance, while their mothers supplied information regarding family cumulative risk via a questionnaire. The results indicated that: (1) family cumulative risk negatively predicts preschoolers’ reading and math abilities; (2) global executive function and working memory mediated the association between family cumulative risk and early reading and math abilities; and (3) cognitive flexibility did not demonstrate a significant mediating role between family cumulative risk and early reading and math abilities. The findings highlight the pathways through which cumulative family risk relates to academic achievement and underscore the significance of interventions aimed at enhancing global executive function – particularly working memory – for children subjected to elevated environmental risks, to bolster their school readiness. Research Findings: These findings reveal distinct pathways through which family cumulative risk relates to academic achievement, with working memory emerging as a particularly vulnerable and consequential component of executive function in the context of environmental adversity. Practice or Policy: These findings imply that interventions aimed at enhancing executive function—particularly working memory—should be given more support and assistance for children subjected to elevated environmental risks, to bolster their school readiness and child development.