TY - JOUR
T1 - Cumulative life course adversity, mental health, and cognition in the UK biobank
AU - Künzi, M
AU - Gheorghe, D A
AU - Kliegel, M
AU - Ballhausen, N
AU - Gallacher, J
AU - Bauermeister, S
N1 - Sarah Bauermeister is supported by DPUK. Delia Alexandra Gheorghe is supported by a grant of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization, CNCS—UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P1-1.1-PD-2021-0138, within PNCDI III. Matthias Kliegel and Morgane Künzi are funded by grants from the Leenaards Foundation and the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research Lives—Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives (NCCR LIVES), which is financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant number: 51NF40-185901).
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The association between adversity and cognition varies according to the specific adversity, when the adversity was experienced, and the cognitive domains investigated. Disentangling the effect of adversity and the underlying mechanistic pathway is therefore difficult. The association between adversity (i.e., maltreatment) accumulated over the life course and cognitive flexibility, as well as two potential mediators (i.e., intra-individual variability in reaction time and depression) of this association, were investigated. Data stem from the baseline population of the UK Biobank study (N = 73,489, Mdn age = 56, SD age = 7.628, 55.740% of women). Cumulative life course adversity (specifically maltreatment) was measured with items based on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTS-5) and items adapted from the British Crime Survey. Depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Intra-individual variability in reaction time was measured with a reaction time test "snap game" and the Trail Making Test A and B were used as a measure of cognitive flexibility. A path analysis was performed on these data. Higher cumulative adverse experiences were associated with lower performance in cognitive flexibility (β = .016, p < .001, 95% CI [0.009, 0.024]), and this effect was partly mediated by the level of depression (22.727% of the total effect of cumulative life course adversity on cognitive flexibility was mediated by depression (β = .005, p < .001, 95% CI [0.004, 0.007])). No association between cumulative life course adverse experiences and intra-individual variability in reaction time was found, nor was any indirect association between cumulative life course adversity and performance in cognitive flexibility via intra-individual variability in reaction time. The association between cumulative life course adversity, depression, and performance in cognitive flexibility has been highlighted. In contrast, no indirect effect between cumulative life course adversity and performance in cognitive flexibility via intra-individual variability in reaction time was found, suggesting that it is not a potential mechanism underlying the association between cumulative life course adversity and executive function.
AB - The association between adversity and cognition varies according to the specific adversity, when the adversity was experienced, and the cognitive domains investigated. Disentangling the effect of adversity and the underlying mechanistic pathway is therefore difficult. The association between adversity (i.e., maltreatment) accumulated over the life course and cognitive flexibility, as well as two potential mediators (i.e., intra-individual variability in reaction time and depression) of this association, were investigated. Data stem from the baseline population of the UK Biobank study (N = 73,489, Mdn age = 56, SD age = 7.628, 55.740% of women). Cumulative life course adversity (specifically maltreatment) was measured with items based on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTS-5) and items adapted from the British Crime Survey. Depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Intra-individual variability in reaction time was measured with a reaction time test "snap game" and the Trail Making Test A and B were used as a measure of cognitive flexibility. A path analysis was performed on these data. Higher cumulative adverse experiences were associated with lower performance in cognitive flexibility (β = .016, p < .001, 95% CI [0.009, 0.024]), and this effect was partly mediated by the level of depression (22.727% of the total effect of cumulative life course adversity on cognitive flexibility was mediated by depression (β = .005, p < .001, 95% CI [0.004, 0.007])). No association between cumulative life course adverse experiences and intra-individual variability in reaction time was found, nor was any indirect association between cumulative life course adversity and performance in cognitive flexibility via intra-individual variability in reaction time. The association between cumulative life course adversity, depression, and performance in cognitive flexibility has been highlighted. In contrast, no indirect effect between cumulative life course adversity and performance in cognitive flexibility via intra-individual variability in reaction time was found, suggesting that it is not a potential mechanism underlying the association between cumulative life course adversity and executive function.
KW - Adult
KW - Adverse Outcome Pathways
KW - Child
KW - Child Abuse/psychology
KW - Cognition/physiology
KW - Depression/epidemiology
KW - Executive Function/physiology
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Incidence
KW - Life Change Events
KW - Male
KW - Mental Health
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Surveys and Questionnaires
KW - United Kingdom/epidemiology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136859823&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-022-18928-9
DO - 10.1038/s41598-022-18928-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 36038622
SN - 2045-2322
VL - 12
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
M1 - 14700
ER -