The associations of executive functions with resilience in early adulthood: A prospective longitudinal study

Background: Executive functions and resilience, the key components of an individual's ability to participate meaningfully and effectively in their environment, have become increasingly researched topics in psychology and education. However, little is known about the longitudinal associations of executive functions and resilience among emergent adults. Methods: We conducted a prospective study with 450 (baseline) participants aged 17-24 years; 420 of these participants also completed a 15-month follow-up. Participants answered questionnaires investigating socio-demographics, executive functions, and resilience, and results were analysed with multivariable logistic regression and cross-lagged analyses. Results: At baseline, the overall prevalence of low executive functions (T-score ≥ 60) among the sample was 18.2%. Relative to persistently low executive functions, newly developed or persistent high executive functions was significantly associated with higher level of resilience at follow-up (b OR  = 8.26, 95% CI [2.57, 26.49]; b OR  = 8.74, 95% CI [3.69, 20.70], respectively). Further cross-lagged analyses showed bidirectional relationships of executive functions and various executive functions subtypes with resilience. Limitations: The use of self-report measures may lead to recall bias, and intervention or experimental studies are needed to examine causality. This study recruited participants from one vocational school, which may limit the generalisability of the results. Also, follow-up dropout was a potential bias in this study; the observed results should be interpreted with caution. Conclusions: Our study proposes that enhancing executive functions may be associated with improved resilience, and vice versa. These findings could influence the development of targeted interventions via mental health professionals to support individuals’ development.