Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Elisa Krackow

Committee Co-Chair

Cheryl McNeil

Committee Member

Cheryl McNeil

Committee Member

Marissa Carey

Committee Member

Mariya Cherkasova

Committee Member

Carrie Rishel

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ACEs questionnaire could be a viable screener tool for identifying children in need of neuropsychological testing. This study consisted of a sample of child participants aged 8-17 years (N=53) who were divided into a no ACEs group or the ACEs group (1 or more ACEs) depending on parental responses to the ACEs questionnaire. Participants completed a series of virtual neuropsychological tests that assessed overall neurocognitive functioning, memory, and attention. No significant differences between the no ACEs group and the ACEs group in performance of the overall Neurocognitive Index, Composite Memory Index, or Complex Attention Index emerged. While no significant differences were found in this study, the demographic make-up of the sample could in part explain the absence of significant findings. The sample for this study included highly educated parents who resided in a higher SES bracket. These and other limitations are discussed. While this study did have limitations, several future directions were identified that would strengthen this area of research.

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