Work

Cumulative Childhood Maltreatment and Executive Functioning in Adulthood

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Maltreatment during childhood has detrimental consequences for survivors. Among children, maltreatment predicts deficits in cognition and impairment in academic and emotional functioning. Although studied extensively in children, the extent to which cognitive deficits are evident in adulthood has been examined to a lesser extent. Executive functioning (EF) is a set of cognitive processes that help to guide behavior toward goals and is characterized by a prolonged maturational time course. As such, it is particularly vulnerable to the effects of early stress, which confers risk for psychopathology. Thus, it is critical to assess the potential impact of childhood trauma on adult EF. The present study sought to assess the impact of a history of childhood maltreatment on EF during adulthood using both self-reported and task-based measures of EF processes. Higher levels of cumulative childhood maltreatment predicted poorer EF. Furthermore, deficits were not accounted for by current symptoms of depression and anxiety, indicating that the impact of childhood maltreatment on cognitive functioning in adulthood is not the result of current internalizing psychopathology.

Source: Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma

DOI: 10.1080/10926771.2020.1832171

Authors: Allison M. Letkiewicz, Anne L. Weldon, Chinmayi Tengshe, Michael A. Niznikiewicz, Wendy Heller

Institutions: University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Mental Health