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Children who have been abused or have experienced other types of victimization are at increased risk for cognitive deficits. To assess whether these deficits predate the traumatic experiences, researchers analyzed data from 3269 people enrolled in either of two longitudinal studies.
Various types of childhood victimization — physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; physical neglect; frequent peer bullying; and exposure to domestic violence — were assessed in a U.K. study through age 12 years and in a New Zealand study through age 9 years. Cognitive testing was done from ages 5 to 18 and from ages 3 to 38, respectively.
When excluding children victimized before age 5 years, the U.K. study revealed that children victimized from ages 5 to 12 had l…