Journal of International Psychiatry

【Abstract】 Objective To investigate the effects of childhood abuse on neurocognitive and social cognitive functions of adolescents, and to explore the mediating role of anxiety and depression symptoms in the above associations. Methods In this study, 480 healthy adolescents aged 12 to 18 years were enrolled. All subjects completed the Childhood Abuse Questionnaire (CTQ), the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the Chinese version of the MATRICS cognitive test kit(MCCB). The structural equation model was established and the effect size was obtained. Results Childhood abuse had direct effects on both neurocognitive function (r = -0.405, P<0.001) and social cognitive function (r = -0.228, P<0.001). There was also a direct correlation between childhood abuse and anxiety/depression symptoms (r = 0.392, P<0.001). Anxiety/depression symptoms were partially mediating the association between history of childhood abuse and neurocognitive function (mediating effect size 15.8%) and between history of childhood abuse and social cognitive function (mediating effect size 25.4%). Conclusion Childhood abuse history directly affects social cognition and neurocognitive function; Social cognition and neurocognitive function are also indirectly affected through anxiety/depression symptoms, but anxiety/depression symptoms are not the only mediating factor.

Adolescents; Structural quation model; Childhood abuse; Cognitive function; Anxiety and depression syndrom