Childhood maltreatment predicts poorer executive functioning in adulthood beyond symptoms of internalizing psychopathology.
Child Abuse Negl
; 118: 105140, 2021 08.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34098377
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
A history of childhood maltreatment predicts poorer functioning in several domains during childhood, including executive function (EF). While there is also evidence of poorer EF in adults with a history of childhood trauma, results are mixed. Notable limitations of previous research are (a) the use of single indicators of EF, and/or (b) not consistently assessing whether childhood maltreatment predicts poorer EF beyond internalizing psychopathology.OBJECTIVE:
We sought to overcome limitations of prior work by examining relationships between childhood maltreatment and EF in adulthood by using a latent factor of EF derived from multiple indicators and including psychopathology covariates in our analyses. PARTICIPANTS ANDSETTING:
The present study included a large sample of community adults (n = 489) who were oversampled for internalizing psychopathology symptoms.METHODS:
Primary analyses examined whether childhood maltreatment (cumulative and subtypes) predicted EF using a latent factor approach and linear mixed effects models. Follow-up analyses assessed the impact of childhood maltreatment on EF beyond internalizing psychopathology symptoms and assessed whether gender moderated relationships between EF and childhood maltreatment.RESULTS:
Greater cumulative maltreatment predicted poorer EF (B = -0.15), and emotional neglect emerged as a unique predictor of EF (B = -0.18). These results remained after controlling for psychopathology symptoms. Gender moderated the relationship between physical abuse and EF, with physical abuse predicting poorer EF among males (B = 0.30), but not females (B = -0.04).CONCLUSIONS:
Overall, results indicate that general EF deficits are related to a history of childhood maltreatment, which is not accounted for by internalizing psychopathology symptoms. Potential implications and future directions are discussed.Palavras-chave
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Maus-Tratos Infantis
/
Transtornos Mentais
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article