Estrés tóxico crónico asociado con negligencia intrafamiliar: relaciones con la memoria de trabajo y la desmotivación académica en adolescentes

María Gabriela Macay Arteaga; Xiomara Denisse Loor Loor; José Andrés Ponce Moreira; Erika Monserrate Mendoza Loor; Segundo Ruben Sornoza Pérez

doi:10.63803/prisma.v2n3.36

Authors

María Gabriela Macay Arteaga Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador Author
Xiomara Denisse Loor Loor Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador Author
José Andrés Ponce Moreira Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador Author
Erika Monserrate Mendoza Loor Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador Author
Segundo Ruben Sornoza Pérez Ministerio de Educación del Ecuador Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63803/prisma.v2n3.36

Keywords:

Toxic stress, Intrafamilial neglect, Working memory, Academic demotivation, Adolescence, Literature review, Non-experimental design

Abstract

This article analyzes, through a non-experimental documentary design, the relationship among chronic toxic stress associated with intrafamilial neglect, working memory, and academic demotivation in adolescents. It is explicitly defined as an integrative narrative review with a systematized but non-exhaustive documentary search, and not as a PRISMA systematic review or meta-analysis. No variables are manipulated, no intervention is implemented, and no primary student data are collected; the units of analysis are peer-reviewed publications, reviews, observational empirical studies, institutional guidelines, and theoretical frameworks issued by specialized organizations. The search was updated and verified on June 30, 2026, using a documentary corpus selected according to conceptual relevance, currency, peer review, educational usefulness, and institutional authority. Search descriptors in Spanish and English, Boolean operators, inclusion and exclusion criteria, discard criteria, a corpus traceability matrix, and a qualitative quality assessment of sources are included. Results are organized in a comparative matrix contrasting evidence on maltreatment and neglect, toxic stress, executive functions, working memory, academic motivation, and school protective factors. The synthesis shows convergence in that neglect and other adverse experiences may be associated with prolonged stress activation, executive difficulties, and lower academic engagement; however, these relationships are probabilistic, contextual, and non-deterministic. It is concluded that working memory may be understood as a relevant cognitive mechanism for explaining some forms of academic demotivation, provided that it is integrated with teacher support, school connectedness, mental health, sleep, family resources, and rights protection (Shonkoff, et al., 2012).

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ainamani, H., Rukundo, G., Nduhukire, T., Ndyareba, E., & Hecker, T. (2021). Child maltreatment, cognitive functions and the mediating role of mental health problems among maltreated children and adolescents in Uganda. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 15(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-021-00373-7

Baddeley, A. (2012). Working memory: Theories, models, and controversies. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100422

Bellis, M., Hughes, K., Ford, K., Ramos Rodríguez, G., Sethi, D., & Passmore, J. (2019). Life course health consequences and associated annual costs of adverse childhood experiences across Europe and North America: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health, 4(10), e517-e528. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(19)30145-8

Bethell, C., Jones, J., Gombojav, N., Linkenbach, J., & Sege, R. (2019). Positive childhood experiences and adult mental and relational health in a statewide sample: Associations across adverse childhood experiences levels. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(11), e193007. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3007

Blair, C., & Raver, C. (2016). Poverty, stress, and brain development: New directions for prevention and intervention. Academic Pediatrics, 16(3 Suppl), S30-S36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2016.01.010

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2026). Toxic stress. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/key-concept/toxic-stress/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2 de 3 de 2026). About adverse childhood experiences. https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/

Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe [CEPAL] & UNESCO. (2020). La educación en tiempos de la pandemia de COVID-19. CEPAL/UNESCO.

Dodaj, A., Krajina, M., Sesar, K., & Šimić, N. (2017). The effects of maltreatment in childhood on working memory capacity in adulthood. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 13(4), 618-632. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v13i4.1373

Herrero Romero, R., Hall, J., Cluver, L., Meinck, F., & Hinde, E. (2021). How does exposure to violence affect school delay and academic motivation for adolescents living in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in South Africa? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(7-8), NP3661-NP3694. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518779597

Hughes, K., Bellis, M., Hardcastle, K., Sethi, D., Butchart, A., Mikton, C., . . . Dunne, M. (2017). The effect of multiple adverse childhood experiences on health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health, 2(8), e356-e366. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(17)30118-4

McLaughlin, K., Sheridan, M., & Lambert, H. (2014). Childhood adversity and neural development: Deprivation and threat as distinct dimensions of early experience. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 47, 578-591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.10.012

Munn, Z., Peters, M., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18, 143. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0611-x

Osher, D., Cantor, P., Berg, J., Steyer, L., & Rose, T. (2020). Drivers of human development: How relationships and context shape learning and development. Applied Developmental Science, 24(1), 6-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2017.1398650

Page, M., McKenzie, J., Bossuyt, P., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T., Mulrow, C., . . . Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71

Petruccelli, K., Davis, J., & Berman, T. (2019). Adverse childhood experiences and associated health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 97, 104127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104127

Rethlefsen, M., Kirtley, S., Waffenschmidt, S., Ayala, A., Moher, D., Page, M., . . . PRISMA-S Group. (2021). PRISMA-S: An extension to the PRISMA Statement for reporting literature searches in systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 10, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-020-01542-z

Ryan, R., & Deci, E. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definitions, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860

Sheridan, M., & McLaughlin, K. (2014). Dimensions of early experience and neural development: Deprivation and threat. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18(11), 580-585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2014.09.001

Shonkoff, J., Garner, A., Siegel, B., Dobbins, M., Earls, M., McGuinn, L., . . . Wood, D. (2012). The lifelong effects of early childhood adversity and toxic stress. Pediatrics, 129(1), e232-e246. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-2663

Teicher, M., & Samson, J. (2016). Annual research review: Enduring neurobiological effects of childhood abuse and neglect. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(3), 241-266. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12507

UNICEF. (11 de 6 de 2024). Nearly 400 million young children worldwide regularly experience violent discipline at home. https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/nearly-400-million-young-children-worldwide-regularly-experience-violent-discipline

Wade, M., Zeanah, C., Fox, N., & Nelson, C. (2020). Global deficits in executive functioning are transdiagnostic mediators between severe childhood neglect and psychopathology in adolescence. Psychological Medicine, 50(10), 1687-1694. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291719001764

World Health Organization. (2019). WHO guidelines for the health sector response to child maltreatment. World Health Organization.

World Health Organization. (8 de 5 de 2026). Child maltreatment. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/child-maltreatment