Prevalence Ratios of South African Adolescents with Impaired Neuropsychological Functioning Related to Trauma, Alcohol and Nicotine Exposure

Type Working Paper
Title Prevalence Ratios of South African Adolescents with Impaired Neuropsychological Functioning Related to Trauma, Alcohol and Nicotine Exposure
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year)
URL http://www.nbresearch.com/PDF/2013/Ferrett et al Manuscript.pdf
Abstract
Objectives: Previous studies have focused separately on the adverse effects of trauma and
substance use on cognition. Relatively little is known, however, about how trauma and substance
use, which commonly co-occur, may together influence cognition.
Methods: This study examines prevalence ratios for impaired neuropsychological functioning
associated with high levels of childhood trauma, alcohol and/or nicotine exposure in South
African adolescents aged 12 to 15 (N=159) without histories of other substance use or psychiatric
comorbidity.
Results: Using generalized linear modeling to estimate multivariate prevalence ratios, our results
demonstrate that: (1) high levels of overall trauma carried a 1.7-fold increased risk of inferior
planning and problem solving abilities; (2) sexually abused participants were 1.5 times more
likely to have slower psychomotor processing speed; (3) heavy drinkers were at an increased risk
of inferior neuropsychological functioning in verbal functioning (1.5-fold increased risk),
psychomotor processing speed (1.6-fold increased risk), and self-monitoring (1.7-fold increased
risk) and (4) heavy smokers were at an increased risk for inferior neuropsychological
performance in processing speed, and self-monitoring (both 4-fold increased risk).
Conclusions: Relatively high levels of trauma and alcohol/nicotine use in this adolescent sample
had deleterious effects on various domains of cognition

Related studies

»