Childhood maltreatment and midlife cognitive functioning: A longitudinal study of the roles of social support and social isolation.
Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Negative consequences of childhood maltreatment have been well-documented, including poorer executive functioning and nonverbal reasoning in midlife. However, not all adults with a history of childhood maltreatment manifest these outcomes, suggesting the presence of risk and protective factors. Based on growing empirical support for the importance of social variables in understanding neuropsychological development and functioning, we examined whether social support and social isolation mediate or moderate the effects of childhood maltreatment on cognitive functioning in midlife. METHOD: = 41). Structural equation modeling was used for mediation and linear regressions for moderation. RESULTS: Childhood maltreatment predicted higher levels of social isolation and lower levels of social support and cognitive functioning. Only social isolation mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and midlife cognitive functioning, whereas childhood maltreatment interacted with social support to predict Matrix Reasoning in midlife. Social support was protective for the control group but not for those maltreated. CONCLUSIONS: Social isolation and social support play different roles in understanding how childhood maltreatment impacts midlife cognitive functioning. Greater social isolation predicts greater deficits in cognitive functioning overall, whereas the protective effects of social support are limited to those without a documented history of childhood maltreatment. Clinical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Source: Neuropsychology
DOI: 10.1037/neu0000911
Authors: Molly Maxfield, Xuechen Li, Cathy Spatz Widom
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funders: U.S. Department of Justice, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Justice, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G1006801123, G1164778143, G1179383323, G1185566148, G1273977617, G1352929292, G1445334640, Child Abuse and Neglect, Chronic Stress, and Drug Abuse, G1689474558, G1762377256, G1879136318, G219375750, G2369749656, G244978909, G27279520, G2867528039, G3037277927, Child Maltreatment and Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease, G3359664972, G3407084701, G3584936358, CHILDHOOD VICTIMIZATION AND LIFETIME REVICTIMIZATION, G4012104649, LONG TERM MENTAL OUTCOMES OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT, G417250004, G4320534144, G4538638295, CHILD ABUSE, RISK, AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS--DRUG ABUSE, G5440547563, G5599699835, G5698335693, Thirty-year Follow-up of the Cycle of Violence, CHILDHOOD VICTIMIZATION AND RISK FOR ALCOHOL PROBLEMS, G6963248394, G7165695349, G7544217787, G7720060601, G7892966467, CHILD ABUSE AND ALCOHOL ABUSE, Intergenerational Transmission of Neglect and Abuse, G855367537, G8634215792, G933218392, G983596246
OpenAlex ID: W4378781727