Sexual abuse but not posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with neurocognitive deficits in South African traumatized adolescents
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Sexual abuse but not posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with neurocognitive deficits in South African traumatized adolescents. / Biedermann, Sarah V; Meliss, Stefanie; Simmons, Candice; Nöthling, Jani; Suliman, Sharain; Seedat, Soraya.
In: CHILD ABUSE NEGLECT, Vol. 80, 06.2018, p. 257-267.Research output: SCORING: Contribution to journal › SCORING: Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Sexual abuse but not posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with neurocognitive deficits in South African traumatized adolescents
AU - Biedermann, Sarah V
AU - Meliss, Stefanie
AU - Simmons, Candice
AU - Nöthling, Jani
AU - Suliman, Sharain
AU - Seedat, Soraya
N1 - Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PY - 2018/6
Y1 - 2018/6
N2 - OBJECTIVES: Neurocognitive impairments are commonly observed in adults suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The picture is less clear in adolescents. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may have an independent influence on neuropsychological test performance and provide partial explanatory power of the inconsistent findings. We hypothesized that adolescents with PTSD who have also suffered sexual abuse would have most pronounced deficits on neurocognitive testing.METHODS: In a cross-sectional design, 105 traumatized South African adolescents, of whom 52 fulfilled criteria of PTSD and 34 reported CSA, were studied. A comprehensive neurocognitive battery including tests of memory, executive functioning, and language was used to analyze the associations of neurocognitive impairments with PTSD and CSA.RESULTS: Adolescents reporting CSA manifested impairments in proactive and retroactive interference tasks on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test and in the copy condition of the Rey Osterrieth figure test, indicating deficits in attention and working memory. Against our hypothesis, no independent effects of PTSD were found on neurocognitive performance. Results were independent of comorbid psychiatric diagnoses.CONCLUSIONS: Sexual abuse seems to have an independent influence on attention and working memory. This could be an early sign of hippocampal impairment.
AB - OBJECTIVES: Neurocognitive impairments are commonly observed in adults suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The picture is less clear in adolescents. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may have an independent influence on neuropsychological test performance and provide partial explanatory power of the inconsistent findings. We hypothesized that adolescents with PTSD who have also suffered sexual abuse would have most pronounced deficits on neurocognitive testing.METHODS: In a cross-sectional design, 105 traumatized South African adolescents, of whom 52 fulfilled criteria of PTSD and 34 reported CSA, were studied. A comprehensive neurocognitive battery including tests of memory, executive functioning, and language was used to analyze the associations of neurocognitive impairments with PTSD and CSA.RESULTS: Adolescents reporting CSA manifested impairments in proactive and retroactive interference tasks on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning test and in the copy condition of the Rey Osterrieth figure test, indicating deficits in attention and working memory. Against our hypothesis, no independent effects of PTSD were found on neurocognitive performance. Results were independent of comorbid psychiatric diagnoses.CONCLUSIONS: Sexual abuse seems to have an independent influence on attention and working memory. This could be an early sign of hippocampal impairment.
U2 - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.04.003
DO - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.04.003
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 29649712
VL - 80
SP - 257
EP - 267
JO - CHILD ABUSE NEGLECT
JF - CHILD ABUSE NEGLECT
SN - 0145-2134
ER -
