Perceived Stress, Executive Function, and Stress Regulation: Implications for Middle Schoolers’ Emotional and Behavioral Well-being

Middle schoolers with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically have a trajectory of difficult outcomes (e.g., school dropout, incarceration). Growing evidence suggests that the continuum of behavioral competence to challenges is closely linked to students’ neurocognitive executive function (EF) capacities, perceived stress (e.g., peers, school), and ability to navigate stressful situations; yet research with students with or at risk for EBD in middle school and from racially/ethnically under-represented backgrounds is limited. With 118 middle schoolers from a predominantly Hispanic/Latinx school district in the southeastern United States, we found (a) EF group differences among students with or at risk for EBD compared with peers without significant behaviors and (b) perceived stress and stress-regulation skills were uniquely associated with students’ internalizing and externalizing behaviors. We discuss research and practice implications.