Pellizzoni Sandra, Apuzzo Gian Matteo, De Vita Chiara, Agostini Tiziano, Ambrosini Miriam, Passolunghi Maria Chiara
Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Terre des Hommes, Milan, Italy.
Front Psychol. 2020 Mar 10;11:383. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00383. eCollection 2020.
Executive functions (EFs)' development is critically affected by childhood adversity exposure. Although recent studies underlined the deleterious effects of early life stresses on working memory (WM) and inhibitory control, they were scarcely investigated in war context especially in relation with learning abilities. In order to fill this gap, we designed a research with the aim to evaluate EFs together with early math skills. In particular, we conducted a study involving 150 children divided into three groups: 48 Yazidis ( = 71 months, = 6.59), 47 Syrian refugees ( = 68.77 months, = 7, age), and 55 Italians ( = 68.65 months, = 2.88) attending the third year of kindergarten in Italy or inserted in Psyco-Social-Support activities in Iraq. The children were evaluated with a variety of tasks assessing WM, inhibitory control, counting, digit-quantity mapping, and digit naming skills. The results indicated substantial differences both in EFs and early numerical abilities between the deprived groups and the Italian children. Data are discussed in terms of implications for children both exposed to mainstream school environments and living in socio-economically disadvantaged and deprived contexts.
执行功能（EFs）的发展受到童年时期接触逆境的严重影响。尽管最近的研究强调了早期生活压力对工作记忆（WM）和抑制控制的有害影响，但在战争背景下，尤其是与学习能力相关的方面，这些影响很少得到研究。为了填补这一空白，我们设计了一项研究，旨在评估执行功能以及早期数学技能。具体而言，我们进行了一项研究，涉及150名儿童，分为三组：48名雅兹迪儿童（平均年龄 = 71个月，标准差 = 6.59）、47名叙利亚难民儿童（平均年龄 = 68.77个月，标准差 = 7岁）和55名意大利儿童（平均年龄 = 68.65个月，标准差 = 2.88），他们在意大利上幼儿园三年级，或在伊拉克参加心理社会支持活动。通过各种任务对儿童进行评估，这些任务评估工作记忆、抑制控制、计数、数字-数量映射和数字命名技能。结果表明，贫困群体和意大利儿童在执行功能和早期数字能力方面存在显著差异。本文从对接触主流学校环境的儿童以及生活在社会经济弱势和贫困环境中的儿童的影响方面对数据进行了讨论。
