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Cited by 156Child Abuse and TraumaHealth disparities and outcomesCognitive Abilities and Testing

Long term effects of early adversity on cognitive function

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Richards, M., Wadsworth, M. E. J.·2004·Archives of Disease in Childhood
DOI 10.1136/adc.2003.032490PMC PMC1719683
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Abstract

AIMS: To investigate long term effects of early adverse circumstances on cognitive function. METHODS: Associations between early material home circumstances, parental divorce, maternal management and understanding, and cognitive function in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood were analysed using multiple linear regression, controlling for sex, parental SES, and birth order in 1339 males and females from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. RESULTS: Early adverse circumstances were strongly associated with lower cognitive ability in childhood and adolescence, and were detectable on measures of verbal ability, memory, and speed and concentration in midlife. However, these long term effects were mostly explained by the effects of adversity on childhood or adolescent cognitive ability or by differences in educational attainment and adult social class. An exception was the effect of poor material home conditions on visual search speed at 53 years, which was maintained after controlling for adolescent ability, as well as further control for educational attainment, adult social class, physical growth, cigarette smoking, and affective state. There was no evidence of more rapid decline in memory and psychomotor function across middle age in those exposed to early adversity. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of early adversity on cognitive function tracks across the life course at least as far as middle age, although there was little evidence from this study of effect amplification over this interval. Nevertheless, in view of the persistence of child poverty in the industrialised world, these findings give cause for concern.

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  • Adverse childhood experiences predict poorer long-term outcomes across health and social domains.

    “Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that adverse childhood experiences, namely exposures such as neglect, abuse, caregiver mental illness, and family or community violence, predict poorer long-term outcomes across health and social domains.”

    From Biological embedding of childhood adversity: from physiological mechanisms to clinical implications (2017) · cites this paper as [6]

  • Early adversity is associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, ischemic heart disease, cancers, depression, addictions, premature mortality, unemployment, and lower educational attainment.

    “Outcomes associated with early adversity include higher risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, ischemic heart disease, cancers, depression, addictions, and premature mortality, as well as social outcomes including unemployment and lower educational attainment [1–8].”

    From Biological embedding of childhood adversity: from physiological mechanisms to clinical implications (2017) · cites this paper as [6]

  • Adverse psychosocial exposures in early life are associated with increased lifetime risk of adverse outcomes including diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and psychiatric illnesses.

    “Adverse psychosocial exposures in early life, namely experiences such as child maltreatment, caregiver stress or depression, and domestic or community violence, have been associated in epidemiological studies with increased lifetime risk of adverse outcomes, including diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and psychiatric illnesses.”

    From Biological embedding of childhood adversity: from physiological mechanisms to clinical implications (2017) · cites this paper as [6]

  • ELA-induced changes may mediate epidemiological links to key diseases, including obesity, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, asthma, thromboembolic events, cancer onset and progression, addictions, psychopathology, and adverse social outcomes.

    “In full, ELA-induced changes may mediate epidemiological links to key diseases, including, among others, obesity, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, asthma, thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction, stroke), cancer onset and progression, as well as addictions, psychopathology, and adverse social outcomes [1–6, 18].”

    From Biological embedding of childhood adversity: from physiological mechanisms to clinical implications (2017) · cites this paper as [6]

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Authors
Richards, M., & Wadsworth, M. E. J.
Affiliations
The Royal Free Hospital (GB)
Corresponding author
Richards, M.
ORCID
Richards, M.
Venue
Archives of Disease in Childhood
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2004-09-21
Volume
89
Issue
10
Pages
922-927
ISSN
  • 0003-9888 (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-2044
DOI
10.1136/adc.2003.032490
PMC
PMC1719683
OpenAlex
W2123803650
Cited by
156
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 10
FWCI
6.44
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Archives of Disease in Childhood (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Funders
Medical Research Council
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
Keywords
childhood adversity, child poverty, cognitive function, parental divorce, educational attainment, verbal ability, memory, psychomotor performance, life course, MRC National Survey of Health and Development
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Child, Child, Preschool, Cognition Disorders, Divorce, Educational Status, Humans, Life Change Events, Middle Aged, Poverty, Prognosis, Regression Analysis, Cohort Studies

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