Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are strongly associated with impaired cognitive control, yet research on ACEs’ effects across cognitive control domains—working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control—remains sparse. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the overall impact of ACEs on each of these cognitive control domains and explored moderating factors such as age, gender, cognitive control paradigms, and ACEs subtypes based on the dimensional model of adversity and psychopathology. A database search was conducted in SCOPUS, MedLine, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Only prospective studies were included to ensure temporal order inferences, with at least two data collection points, assessing ACEs at baseline (T1) and cognitive control during follow-up (T2). Thirty-two studies ( N = 26,863) producing 124 effect sizes were analyzed. Three-level meta-analyses revealed small-to-medium negative associations between ACEs and overall cognitive control ( g = −0.32), and in each domain: working memory ( g = −0.28), cognitive flexibility ( g = −0.28), and inhibitory control ( g = −0.32). The negative associations between ACEs and cognitive control were consistent across age, gender, and cognitive control paradigms. ACEs subtypes moderated the association with cognitive flexibility ( p = .04) but not working memory or inhibitory control. Specifically, the deprivation subtype exhibited a stronger negative association with cognitive flexibility compared to threat and threat-and-deprivation subtypes. These findings highlight the pervasive negative impact of ACEs on cognitive control across ages and emphasize the need for targeted interventions. Implications, current gaps, limitations in research, and future study recommendations are discussed.

中文翻译：

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童年不良经历对整个生命周期认知控制的影响：前瞻性研究的系统评价和荟萃分析


不良童年经历 （ACE） 与认知控制受损密切相关，但关于 ACE 在认知控制领域（工作记忆、认知灵活性和抑制控制）影响的研究仍然很少。本系统评价和荟萃分析评估了 ACEs 对每个认知控制领域的总体影响，并根据逆境和精神病理学的维度模型探讨了年龄、性别、认知控制范式和 ACEs 亚型等调节因素。在 SCOPUS 、 MedLine 、 PsycINFO 和 Web of Science 中进行了数据库检索。仅纳入前瞻性研究以确保时间顺序推断，至少有两个数据收集点，评估基线 （T1） 的 ACE 和随访期间的认知控制 （T2）。分析了 32 项研究 （ N = 26,863） 产生 124 个效应量。三级荟萃分析揭示了 ACE 与整体认知控制 （g = -0.32） 之间的中小型负相关，在每个领域：工作记忆 （g = -0.28）、认知灵活性 （g = -0.28） 和抑制控制 （g = -0.32）。ACEs 和认知控制之间的负关联在年龄、性别和认知控制范式中是一致的。ACEs 亚型调节了与认知灵活性 （p = .04） 的关联，但与工作记忆或抑制控制无关。具体来说，与威胁和威胁与剥夺亚型相比，剥夺亚型与认知灵活性表现出更强的负相关。这些发现强调了 ACEs 对不同年龄段认知控制的普遍负面影响，并强调了针对性干预的必要性。讨论了影响、当前差距、研究局限性和未来的研究建议。