Long-Term Cognitive Sequelae: Abused Children Without PTSD

Abstract

Many lines of research suggest that childhood abuse and neglect are associated with later developing psychiatric diagnoses, academic problems, cognitive difficulty, and possible brain changes as measured through brain imaging. Data were collected on children (N = 41) who completed a neuropsychological evaluation. Of those evaluated, 18 had a documented history of physical and/or emotional abuse or significant neglect and 23 had no history of abuse/neglect. When controlling for Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ), the abused children had significantly lower scores on measures of executive functioning (Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test-Categories, Maintenance of Set, and Perseveration and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition Working Memory), and effect sizes were large for these variables. Neither group had any test scores significantly lower than their FSIQ. Cross-tabulation analyses showed that the abused children were more likely to subsequently be diagnosed with a behavioral or emotional disorder. Consistent with psychobiological theories and imaging studies, our data are suggestive that childhood abuse and neglect are associated with later development of behavioral and emotional disorders and areas of cognitive weakness and possible impairment. Future research may be conducted to clarify these effects, the possibility of a dose–effect relationship, and timing of possible critical periods of brain vulnerability.

Key words:

• abuse/neglect
• executive dysfunction
• neuropsychological assessment

Notes

Age = years. Birth weight = pounds.

*Statistical significance at .05 level. **Statistical significance at .01 level.

Partial Eta squared = percent of variance explained by independent variable (small <.06; medium is about .12; large ≥.16).

Note: Prevalence rates are percentages as listed in the DSM-IV-TR. Behavior/emotional problems (variable) is a cumulative prevalence estimate of all diagnoses the participants have.

*Statistical significance at .05 level.