STRESSFUL EVENTS AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING, WORKING MEMORY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENTS

A number of studies have investigated the association between psychiatric disorders and alterations in cognitive development, academic performance and learning ability. However, few studies have explored the relationship between stressful events and grade repetition. Therefore, the main goal of the present study was to compare the frequency of exposure to stressful events, academic performance, executive functioning and performance on working memory tasks between adolescents with and without a history of grade repetition. This was a cross-sectional correlational study. The sample was composed of 83 adolescents, divided into two groups: (1) individuals with a history of grade repetition (n=39) and (2) participants who had never repeated a grade (n=44). Participants were administered tests to assess executive functions, intelligence, exposure to stressful events and academic performance. Individuals with a history of grade repetition reported to experiencing a higher number of stressful events in adolescence, had worse academic performance, and obtained lower scores on executive functioning and working memory tasks than non-repeaters. Results also showed that individuals who had lower executive function scores had experienced a greater number of stressful events. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that exposure to stressful events and impaired executive functioning may contribute significantly to worse academic performance