The intellectual performance of traumatized children and adolescents with or without posttraumatic stress disorder.

Saigh, Philip A.; Yasik, Anastasia E.; Oberfield, Richard A.; Halamandaris, Phill V.; Bremner, J. Douglas

doi:10.1037/0021-843x.115.2.332

Cited by 112 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 66 publications

(87 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Further, it was shown that these children tended to be underserved and were receiving less academic supports than nonabused children. Similarly, a sample of child and adolescent inpatients with PTSD were found to have decreased verbal IQ scores in comparison to non-traumatized and traumatized, non-PTSD inpatients (Saigh, Yasik, Oberfield, Halamandaris, & Bremner, 2006). Within a different sample of child psychiatric inpatients, children with sexual abuse histories had the lowest performance IQ scores when compared to groups of nonabused and physically abused inpatients, though the trend was non-significant for between groups comparison of abuse types (Sadeh, Hayden, McGuire, Sachs, & Civita, 1994).…”

Section: Intellectual Functioningmentioning

confidence: 90%

The traumatic stress response in child maltreatment and resultant neuropsychological effects

Wilson

Hansen

2011

Aggression and Violent Behavior

141

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Child maltreatment is a pervasive problem in our society that has long-term detrimental consequences to the development of the affected child such as future brain growth and functioning. In this paper, we surveyed empirical evidence on the neuropsychological effects of child maltreatment, with a special emphasis on emotional, behavioral, and cognitive process-response difficulties experienced by maltreated children. The alteration of the biochemical stress response system in the brain that changes an individual's ability to respond efficiently and efficaciously to future stressors is conceptualized as the traumatic stress response. Vulnerable brain regions include the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the amygdala, the hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex and are linked to children's compromised ability to process both emotionally-laden and neutral stimuli in the future. It is suggested that information must be garnered from varied literatures to conceptualize a research framework for the traumatic stress response in maltreated children. This research framework suggests an altered developmental trajectory of information processing and emotional dysregulation, though much debate still exists surrounding the correlational nature of empirical studies, the potential of resiliency following childhood trauma, and the extent to which early interventions may facilitate recovery.

show abstract

Section: Intellectual Functioningmentioning

confidence: 90%

The traumatic stress response in child maltreatment and resultant neuropsychological effects

Wilson

Hansen

2011

Aggression and Violent Behavior

141

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One recent study [16] comparing traumatized adolescents with and without PTSD found significant differences in a number of neurocognitive domains, including attention and visual memory. Further support for the presence of cognitive deficits in traumatized adolescents comes from Saigh et al [17]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Relationship between Neurocognition and Regional Brain Volumes in Traumatized Adolescents with and without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Ahmed

Spottiswoode²,

Carey³

et al. 2012

Neuropsychobiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: Studies using convergent neurocognitive and structural imaging paradigms in adolescent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are limited; in the current study we used both voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to obtain between-group volumetric differences, and Freesurfer to examine the relationship between cognition and regional brain volumes. Methods: Participants were 21 traumatized adolescents with PTSD matched with 32 traumatized adolescents without PTSD. Magnetic resonance images were obtained on a 1.5-Tesla MAGNETOM Siemens Symphony scanner. VBM implemented on FSL was then used to compare between-group grey matter volumes, after which Freesurfer was used to obtain global volume and thickness measurements in different brain regions. Results: Significant between-group neurocognitive differences were found for tests of attention, delayed recall and visual reconstruction. On VBM, reduced grey matter was found in three regions in the PTSD group: left insula, right precuneus and right cingulate gyrus, using uncorrected values (p < 0.001), while no statistically significant between-group differences were found on the initial Freesurfer stream. Further Freesurfer analysis on Qdec revealed significant reductions in the insula for the PTSD group. In addition, volumetric changes in the corpus callosum and insula were significantly associated with deficits in logical memory and visual reproduction on Freesurfer analysis. Conclusions: Trauma exposure of itself may be sufficient to cause structural changes in adolescents regardless of PTSD development.

show abstract

“…Saigh et al compared the IQ scores of traumatized youth with PTSD to scores of traumaexposed and non-exposed comparison groups without PTSD whilst controlling for other major childhood psychiatric disorders. The PTSD group consisting of n = 228 individuals scored significantly lower on the verbal, but not on the performance subtests compared to the n = 276 controls [15]. Furthermore, the scores of the trauma-exposed non-PTSD individuals and nontrauma exposed controls were not significantly different indicating that PTSD and not a history of trauma exposure (without PTSD) is associated with lower verbal IQ.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Moreover, their restricted sample size (n = 47) might have introduced a bias; therefore replication in bigger samples is needed. Two other studies investigating intelligence, memory and learning deficits in groups of trauma-exposed and non-exposed children and adolescents found no association between cognitive performance and traumatic events in early life [15,16]. Saigh et al compared the IQ scores of traumatized youth with PTSD to scores of traumaexposed and non-exposed comparison groups without PTSD whilst controlling for other major childhood psychiatric disorders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood Trauma and PTSD Symptoms Increase the Risk of Cognitive Impairment in a Sample of Former Indentured Child Laborers in Old Age

Burri¹,

Maercker²,

Krammer³

et al. 2015

Childhood Adversity and Developmental Effects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A growing body of evidence suggests a link between early childhood trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and higher risk for dementia in old age. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between childhood trauma exposure, PTSD and neurocognitive function in a unique cohort of former indentured Swiss child laborers in their late adulthood. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study ever conducted on former indentured child laborers and the first to investigate the relationship between childhood versus adulthood trauma and cognitive function. According to PTSD symptoms and whether they experienced childhood trauma (CT) or adulthood trauma (AT), participants (n = 96) were categorized as belonging to one of four groups: CT/PTSD+, CT/PTSD-, AT/PTSD+, AT/PTSD-. Information on cognitive function was assessed using the Structured Interview for Diagnosis of Dementia of Alzheimer Type, Multi-infarct Dementia and Dementia of other Etiology according to ICD-10 and DSM-III-R, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and a vocabulary test. Depressive symptoms were investigated as a potential mediator for neurocognitive functioning. Individuals screening positively for PTSD symptoms performed worse on all cognitive tasks compared to healthy individuals, independent of whether they reported childhood or adulthood adversity. When controlling for depressive symptoms, the relationship between PTSD symptoms and poor cognitive function became stronger. Overall, results tentatively indicate that PTSD is accompanied by cognitive deficits which appear to be independent of earlier childhood adversity. Our findings suggest that cognitive deficits in old age may be partly a consequence of PTSD or at least be aggravated by it. However, several study limitations need to considered. Consideration of cognitive deficits when treating PTSD patients and victims of lifespan trauma (even without a diagnosis of a psychiatric condition) is crucial. Furthermore, early intervention may prevent longterm deficits in memory function and development of dementia in adulthood.

show abstract

The intellectual performance of traumatized children and adolescents with or without posttraumatic stress disorder.

Cited by 112 publications

References 66 publications

The traumatic stress response in child maltreatment and resultant neuropsychological effects

The traumatic stress response in child maltreatment and resultant neuropsychological effects

Relationship between Neurocognition and Regional Brain Volumes in Traumatized Adolescents with and without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Childhood Trauma and PTSD Symptoms Increase the Risk of Cognitive Impairment in a Sample of Former Indentured Child Laborers in Old Age

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About