Effects of childhood sexual abuse on neuropsychological and cognitive function in college women.
Twenty-six college women with a history of repeated childhood sexual abuse were recruited from the community and compared with 19 healthy female collegiate subjects on neurocognitive measures. Abused subjects showed increased response latency variability and diminished inhibitory capacity during a GO/NO-GO/STOP vigilance task. A strong association was found between duration of abuse and memory impairments. Math Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores were significantly lower in abused subjects when matched against comparison subjects and when compared to their own Verbal SAT scores. Childhood sexual abuse appears to be associated with a constellation of neuropsychological deficiencies even in a group of relatively healthy women.
Navalta
Carryl P
CP
McLean Hospital, 115 Mill St., Belmont, MA 02478, USA. cnavalta@mclean.harvard.edu
Polcari
Ann
A
Webster
Danielle M
DM
Boghossian
Ani
A
Teicher
Martin H
MH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001077:Aptitude Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001288:Attention; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology