Traumatic experiences and cognition: How do static and dynamic variables contribute to current functioning?
Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Approximately 25% of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before age 4, and individuals with a history of trauma, particularly traumatic events in childhood, have a much higher likelihood of developing psychopathology in adulthood. Prior research indicates that the vast majority of individuals with a serious mental illness, particularly those in community mental health centers and psychiatric inpatient settings, have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. These individuals require special consideration in treatment planning, and a large range of neurodevelopmental and environmental factors must be taken into account when interpreting results of neuropsychological assessment. The current study examines the impact of both “dynamic” factors such as age and diagnosis as well as “static” factors such as trauma history and IQ on performance on two executive functioning measures in a psychiatric inpatient population. Results suggest that while performance is impacted by IQ for executive functioning assessments as a whole, factors such as a history of trauma, the type of traumatic events experienced, psychosis, and the presence of secondary gain may differentially impact performance depending on the specific cognitive functioning abilities being assessed (e.g., basic versus executive).
Author: Cathryn Richmond
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1685053657