Relationships Between Executive Functions and Distress Tolerance in School-Age Children

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/apl/a.14407

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Published: Sep 11, 2026
Issue: Vol. 44 No. 2 (2026)
Section Artículos


Keywords: executive functions distress tolerance emotion regulation children

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Authors

  Santiago Vernucci
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología, Mar del Plata, Argentina
  María Florencia Pereyra
Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Facultad de Psicología, Mar del Plata, Argentina
  Macarena del Valle
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología, Mar del Plata, Argentina
  Rosario Gelpi Trudo
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología, Mar del Plata, Argentina
  Lorena Canet Juric
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología, Mar del Plata, Argentina

Abstract

Executive Functions (EFs) are cognitive control processes that operate across different domains, including emotion regulation. Although they are expected to relate to skills such as Distress Tolerance (DT), few studies have evaluated the role of each EF in DT among children. This study examined the relationship between EFs (working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility) and DT in school-aged children through a correlational analysis of a sample of 48 children aged 7 to 9 years. It assessed EFs and DT using parent-report questionnaires. DT showed a large correlation with cognitive flexibility and moderate correlations with working memory and inhibition. Likewise, when considering the joint contribution of each EF, only cognitive flexibility significantly predicted DT. These findings provide evidence of a relationship between EFs and DT in school-age children, highlighting the role of cognitive flexibility and pointing to the need for studies that help better understand this relationship at this stage of development.

How to Cite
Vernucci, S., Pereyra, M. F., del Valle, M., Gelpi Trudo, R., & Canet Juric, L. (2026). Relationships Between Executive Functions and Distress Tolerance in School-Age Children. Avances En Psicología Latinoamericana, 44(2). https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/apl/a.14407
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