Childhood maltreatment and cognitive functioning: the role of depression, parental education, and polygenic predisposition

This study investigated the relationship between childhood maltreatment (CM) and cognitive dysfunction across various domains, controlling for depression, parental education, and genetic predisposition. 547 individuals with depressive disorder and 670 healthy controls were assessed using neuropsychological tests. Multivariate analysis showed significant associations between cognitive functioning and CM, parental education, and polygenic scores for depression and educational attainment. CM was associated with poorer performance across all cognitive domains, even after controlling for confounders. The findings highlight the independent effects of CM, depression, and parental education on cognition, suggesting that interventions should consider these factors.

Janik Goltermann, Ronny Redlich, Dominik Grotegerd, Katharina Dohm, Elisabeth J. Leehr, Joscha Böhnlein, Katharina Förster, Susanne Meinert, Verena Enneking, Maike Richter, Jonathan Reppel, Immanuel DeVille’s, Marlene Kloeker, Andreas Jansen, Axel Krug, Igor Nendić, Katharina Brosch, Tina Meller, Frederike Stein, Simon Schmitt, Marcela Rietschel, Fabian Streit, Stephanie H. Witt, Andreas J. Forstner, Markus M. Nöthen, Bernhard T. Baune, Till F. M. Andlauer, Tilo Kircher, Nils Opel, Udo Dannlowski