Relationship of cognitive function and adjustment difficulties among children and adolescents with dissociative disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Although it has been suggested that children and adolescents with dissociative disorder have some cognitive deficits, the association of these cognitive impairments with adjustment difficulties has not been evaluated. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between cognitive functioning and adjustment difficulties in children and adolescents with dissociative disorder.


METHODS
This cross-sectional, descriptive assessment was carried out in the outpatient setting of child and adolescent psychiatric service in a tertiary care hospital. Fifty newly diagnosed children and adolescents with dissociative disorder were included. The cognitive functions were assessed by varied neuropsychological tests, and Bell's adjustment inventory was used for assessing various domains of adjustment.


RESULTS
The mean age of the sample which comprised 40% males was 13.0 (±2.4) years. The mean intelligence quotient (IQ) of the sample was 90.6. Impairment in cognitive test was maximum for verbal working memory followed by sustained attention, visual learning and memory, and verbal retention and recall. Adjustment difficulties were greatest in the domains of self, followed by domains of health, school, and family. Significant association was found between the IQ and adjustment in school; visual learning and memory and adjustments in school and overall adjustment; and sustained attention and adjustment of health.


CONCLUSIONS
Dissociative children have poor cognitive ability which may be related to poor adjustment scores.
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Rajeev
R
Ranjan
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Manju
M
Mehta
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Rajesh
R
Sagar
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Siddharth
S
Sarkar
Adjustment; children; cognition; conversion disorder; dissociative disorder