TY - JOUR
T1 - Histories of childhood maltreatment in schizophrenia
T2 - Relationships with premorbid functioning, symptomatology, and cognitive deficits
AU - Schenkel, Lindsay S.
AU - Spaulding, William D.
AU - DiLillo, David
AU - Silverstein, Steven M.
PY - 2005/7/15
Y1 - 2005/7/15
N2 - A number of studies have demonstrated an increased rate of histories of childhood maltreatment among adults with serious mental illness. The present investigation documented the presence of childhood maltreatment in a sample of 40 psychiatric inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The type (neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse), duration, and severity of childhood maltreatment was examined along with measures of premorbid functioning, current symptomatology, and cognitive functioning. Participants with histories of maltreatment were significantly more likely to have poorer peer relationships in childhood, more difficulty in school, an earlier age at first hospitalization, more previous hospitalizations, elevated symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidality on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and more impaired performance on a task of visual-perceptual organization. Severity and frequency of childhood maltreatment were both positively correlated with hallucinations and delusions on the BPRS. Linear trend analysis indicated a pattern of more severe impairment as the number of types of maltreatment increased. No relationships were found between maltreatment and measures of executive functioning, verbal fluency, or verbal processing speed. A history of childhood maltreatment appears to be a significant determinant of premorbid functioning, illness-related symptom expression, and specific forms of cognitive dysfunction.
AB - A number of studies have demonstrated an increased rate of histories of childhood maltreatment among adults with serious mental illness. The present investigation documented the presence of childhood maltreatment in a sample of 40 psychiatric inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The type (neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse), duration, and severity of childhood maltreatment was examined along with measures of premorbid functioning, current symptomatology, and cognitive functioning. Participants with histories of maltreatment were significantly more likely to have poorer peer relationships in childhood, more difficulty in school, an earlier age at first hospitalization, more previous hospitalizations, elevated symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidality on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and more impaired performance on a task of visual-perceptual organization. Severity and frequency of childhood maltreatment were both positively correlated with hallucinations and delusions on the BPRS. Linear trend analysis indicated a pattern of more severe impairment as the number of types of maltreatment increased. No relationships were found between maltreatment and measures of executive functioning, verbal fluency, or verbal processing speed. A history of childhood maltreatment appears to be a significant determinant of premorbid functioning, illness-related symptom expression, and specific forms of cognitive dysfunction.
KW - Childhood abuse
KW - Neurocognition
KW - Perceptual organization
KW - Premorbid functioning
KW - Schizophrenia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=20444394380&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=20444394380&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.schres.2005.03.003
DO - 10.1016/j.schres.2005.03.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 15949659
AN - SCOPUS:20444394380
SN - 0920-9964
VL - 76
SP - 273
EP - 286
JO - Schizophrenia Research
JF - Schizophrenia Research
IS - 2-3
ER -