Childhood Abuse and Neglect and Cognitive Flexibility in Adolescents

dc.contributor.authorSpann, M. N., Mayes, L. C., Kalmar, J. H., Guiney, J., Womer, F. Y., Pittman, B., ... & Blumberg, H. P.
dc.date.accessioned2017-06-02T16:07:47Z
dc.date.available2017-06-02T16:07:47Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractChildhood maltreatment (CM) has been associated with diminished executive functioning in children and adults; however, there is a relative paucity of study of executive function in adolescents exposed to CM. Yet, executive dysfunction in adolescence may have important adverse consequences including increased vulnerability to risky behaviors and impaired school functioning. This study investigates the relationship between self-reported CM and an executive function, cognitive flexibility, in adolescents without identified psychiatric disorders. Effects of physical and emotional, abuse and neglect, maltreatment subtypes were explored. Thirty adolescents ages 12–17 years, 50% females, completed the retrospective self-report Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and were administered the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Correlational analyses assessed the relationship between WCST perseverative error scores norm-referenced for age and education with CTQ total scores. The relationship with non-perseverative errors, as well as with physical and emotional abuse and neglect CM subscores, were explored. Total CTQ scores showed significant associations with perseverative errors on the WCST, but not with non-perseverative errors. Significant associations with perseverative errors were seen for physical abuse and physical neglect among the CTQ subscales. The results suggest both physical abuse and physical neglect are associated with diminished cognitive flexibility in adolescents. These effects were detected in adolescents without identified psychiatric diagnoses suggesting the importance of considering executive dysfunction in adolescents exposed to CM who may not meet diagnostic criteria for an Axis I disorder and that tests of perseverative errors, such as those of the WCST, may be sensitive indicators of this dysfunction. (Author Abstract)en_US
dc.identifier.citationSpann, M. N., Mayes, L. C., Kalmar, J. H., Guiney, J., Womer, F. Y., Pittman, B., ... & Blumberg, H. P. (2012). Childhood abuse and neglect and cognitive flexibility in adolescents. Child Neuropsychology, 18(2), 182-189.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3326262/pdf/nihms363428.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/3373
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherChild Neuropsychologyen_US
dc.subjectchild abuseen_US
dc.subjectlong term effectsen_US
dc.subjectchild developmenten_US
dc.subjectresearchen_US
dc.titleChildhood Abuse and Neglect and Cognitive Flexibility in Adolescentsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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