Abstract

Subjective cognitive complaints are a frequent patient-reported problem. Some adults with cognitive complaints present to the neuropsychology clinic without a diagnosable cognitive disorder but experience subjective daily executive dysfunction. It is well-established that trauma may impact executive function; however, the nuances of this relationship remain of interest. The present study descriptively reports associations between executive function and childhood trauma as well as lifetime trauma and current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Participants were 48 adults referred to a neuropsychology clinic for evaluation without an identified neurocognitive disorder. Correlations between self-reported executive dysfunction, as assessed by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult (BRIEF-A), childhood trauma as measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and lifetime and current symptoms using the PTSD Diagnostic Scale for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 were conducted. Correlations indicated that emotional neglect was associated with BRIEF-A indices and specific subscales including self-monitoring, shifting attention, task initiation, and planning/organization. Childhood emotional and sexual abuse and physical neglect and abuse, lifetime trauma and current PTSD symptoms were not associated with BRIEF-A indices. Though preliminary, these results highlight that in this population, history of childhood emotional neglect is particularly important when considering etiology of daily executive function complaints. Clinical implications and limitations are discussed.

摘要

主观认知抱怨是患者经常报告的问题。一些有认知问题的成年人在没有可诊断的认知障碍的情况下就诊于神经心理学诊所，但却经历了主观的日常执行功能障碍。众所周知，创伤可能会影响执行功能；然而，这种关系的细微差别仍然令人感兴趣。本研究描述性地报告了执行功能与童年创伤以及终生创伤与当前创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 症状之间的关联。参与者是 48 名成年人，他们被转介到神经心理学诊所进行评估，但没有发现神经认知障碍。自我报告的执行功能障碍之间的相关性，由执行功能成人行为评级清单 (BRIEF-A) 评估，通过儿童创伤问卷测量的童年创伤以及使用 PTSD 诊断量表精神障碍诊断和统计手册-5 的终生和当前症状进行了测量。相关性表明情绪忽视与 BRIEF-A 指数和特定分量表相关，包括自我监控、注意力转移、任务启动和计划/组织。童年的情感和性虐待以及身体忽视和虐待、终生创伤和当前的 PTSD 症状与 BRIEF-A 指数无关。虽然是初步的，但这些结果强调，在这一人群中，在考虑日常执行功能投诉的病因时，童年情感忽视的历史尤为重要。讨论了临床意义和局限性。