Children’s Exposure to Violence and the Intersection Between Delinquency and Victimization

Abstract

Background-Childhood trauma exposure has been associated with deficits in cognitive functioning. The influence of timing of exposure on the magnitude and persistence of deficits is not well understood. The impact of exposure in early development has been especially underinvestigated. This study examined the impact of interpersonal trauma exposure (IPT) in the first years of life on childhood cognitive functioning.

The influence of early maternal care on perceptual attentional set shifting and stress reactivity in adult rats

“…In humans, a correlation between early‐life experiences and cognitive function also suggests a putative role for early‐experiences in PFC development. In children, exposure to early‐life trauma is associated with deficits in cognitive function (Enlow et al, ). Children exposed to child neglect, the most common form of maltreatment, also have deleterious effects on children's development including cognitive function.…”

“…Developing mammals are also influenced by more subtle changes in the early‐life period. In humans, the quality of early caregiving is a major environmental determinant of both HPA reactivity and broader neurodevelopmental processes (Ainsworth, ; Anda et al, ; Bernet & Stein, ; Byrd‐Craven, Auer, Granger, & Massey, ; Egeland & Sroufe, ; Enlow, Egeland, Blood, Wright, & Wright, ; Grossmann, Grossmann, & Waters, ; Hildyard & Wolfe, ; Hunter, Minnis, & Wilson, ). For instance, low levels of maternal care are correlated with increased risk of depression among offspring in adulthood (Parker, ).…”

Neurobiological development in the context of childhood trauma.

“…Thus, exposure to stress during these sensitive periods has the potential to alter the neurobiological landscape in powerful and lasting ways (Knudsen, ). Trauma occurring during early, sensitive periods of development can increase risk for psychological, behavioral, and neurocognitive problems across the life span (Cowell, Cicchetti, Rogosch, & Toth, ; Dunn et al., ; Enlow, Egeland, Blood, Wright, & Wright, ).…”

“…This review should be considered in light of the following limitations. First, much of the reported literature is based on retrospective studies of childhood trauma, limiting the ability to make causal interpretations; however, some prospective studies do lend support to interpretations of childhood maltreatment as potentially contributing to risk for depression, PTSD, and dissociation, as well as to deficits in executive function and emotion regulation (Enlow et al., ; Geoffroy et al., ; Nikulina & Widom, ; Trickett et al., ; Zimmermann et al., ).…”

Fatores clínicos e de risco associados ao desempenho cognitivo em crianças vítimas de abuso sexual

“…Destacamos que a utilização de um protocolo mais amplo que os utilizados na realidade brasileira e que permitiu verificar as principais funções cognitivas de maneira global, possibilitando a estruturação de um delineamento que já vem sendo discutido na literatura, que aponta o impacto negativo no desenvolvimento cognitivo em decorrência da exposição a traumas, incluindo o abuso sexual, na primeira infância (Enlow, Egeland, Blood, Wright, & Wright, 2012).…”