Is childhood abuse responsible for working memory impairment? A relationship often not considered, but one that requires some thought and validity. We certainly know that there are links between anxiety related concerns, depression, substance abuse issues and so forth. Often these types of ailments can be debilitating even causing some young people to take their own lives.
But what about memory impairment and childhood abuse? How does it factor into the equation? And does it?
Well researchers Cromheeke, Herpoel, and Mueller seem to think so. Their study published November 21, 2013 in Child Maltreatment of Sage Journals clearly reveals a link between these variables.
The study titled, “Childhood Abuse Is Related to Working Memory Impairment for Positive Emotion in Female University Students” is definitely a first look at this relationship (Cromheeke et al., 2013).
What is Working Memory Impairment?
For us to fully understand this relationship we need to begin with understanding working memory in general and how impairment to working memory can affect our daily lives.
According to the Medical Dictionary by Farlex, working memory is “the memory system that relates to the task at hand and coordinates recall of memories necessary to complete it” (Farlex, 2013). So whether you are trying to remember someone’s name you met 5 minutes ago, or a phone number you have dialed a hundred times in the last month, you are tapping into your brains working memory.
Working memory is your brain’s Post-it note, says Tracy Packiam Alloway, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. “It makes all the difference to successful learning,” she says. You can think of working memory as the active part of your memory system. via What Is Working Memory and Why Does It Matter?
So if we consider that working memory requires our ability to stay on task, pay close attention to things, as well as utilizing our short term memory capacity then clearly any impairment would impact our daily lives. We would have difficulty learning new things. Just think of how challenging it would be to master new skills at work if you all of a sudden had to deal with missing pieces of information.
Specifics of the Study
This study tested the impact of distracting emotional information on working memory performance in 21 young women with a history of sexual and physical abuse during childhood/adolescence. via: Childhood Abuse is Related…
The thinking was that “one possible mechanism underlying this association could be deficits in cognitive processing of emotional information” (Cromheeke et al., 2013).
The average age of the women in the study was 20 years. This target group was then “compared…to 17 individuals reporting nonabuse-related childhood stress” with an average age of 19.6 years (Cromheeke et al., 2013). Additionally, a third group classified as the “control group” consisted “of 17 women without a history of childhood stress” at an average age of 20 years (Cromheeke et al., 2013).
Findings of the Study
During the most difficult distractor condition, working memory accuracy for positive versus neutral incidental emotional stimuli was reduced in women reporting a history of abuse relative to both control groups (with and without nonabuse-related childhood stress). The current results reveal aberrant responses to positive stimuli and are consistent with the notion of persistent influence of childhood abuse on processes critical for emotional well-being and emotion control. via Childhood Abuse is Related to…
Interpreting the Findings
If we consider that childhood abuse affects emotional development, which is directly tied into cognition then we can better understand how situations of increased emotional stress would directly impact short term memory, hence, resulting in a working memory impairment. This would then explain learning difficulties that may exist between those that have suffered abuse versus those that have not. It however, does not define a causal relationship but rather an associated factor that could help explain related deficits.
Signs of Working Memory Impairment
If you think that you or a loved one is suffering from a working memory impairment here are some common signs to look for:
- Frequently late to work
- Often underestimates time required for a task
- Has problems breaking a project into manageable steps
- Often loses temper with children and spouse
via The Relationship Between Working Memory and Emotion
Closing Remarks About Childhood Abuse and Working Memory Impairment
These findings are clearly a step in the right direction to understanding a relationship that may not have received the amount of attention that it deserves. While this is one study and the results are promising further research needs to be done so that we can better understand this relationship. Moreover, it needs to translate into treatment protocols in order for those affected individuals to benefit from this work.
References
Cromheeke, S., Herpoel, L.A. & Mueller, S.C. (2013). Childhood Abuse Is Related to Working Memory Impairment for Positive Emotion in Female University Students. Child Maltreatment. Sage Journals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24271026
Farlex. (2013). Working Memory. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/working+memory
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