Narrative Abilities and Episodic Memory in School-Aged Children Followed by Child Protective Services

Episodic foresight, episodic memory, and executive functions in children engaged with Child Protective Services: The role of cumulative risk

Previous studies have determined that exposure to risk and adversities may impair children's cognitive abilities. In particular, children engaged with Child Protective Services (CPS) seem to be at greater risk for enhanced detrimental effects resulting from the cumulative risk factors to which they are exposed. However, little is known about children's future thinking when they face adverse circumstances, and it is not clear how the associations among episodic foresight abilities, episodic memory, and executive functions work with children under such circumstances. The current study describes the episodic foresight abilities of CPS-involved school-aged children, its association with other cognitive abilities, and how this association is affected by the exposure to cumulative risk and adversity factors. Episodic foresight, episodic memory, executive functions, and a composite of cumulative risk factors were analyzed in a sample of 95 school-aged children engaged with CPS in Portugal. Results suggest the detrimental effect of cumulative risk on the episodic foresight abilities of CPS-involved children. Episodic memory and cognitive flexibility were significant predictors of episodic foresight abilities, and cumulative risk exposure moderated the relation between episodic memory and episodic foresight. The current study provides a better understanding of the influences of multiple adversities on CPS-involved children's episodic foresight abilities and related cognitive outcomes.

The relationship between childhood interpersonal and non-interpersonal trauma and autobiographical memory: a systematic review

Childhood trauma can have negative effects on several domains of mental functioning, including Autobiographical Memory (AM). Conflicting results emerge in the scientific literature regarding the effects of childhood trauma on AM. In this review, we explored the relationship between the childhood trauma and AM, classifying childhood trauma as interpersonal, non-interpersonal and overall (interpersonal and non-interpersonal). We carried out a systematic literature review, following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA statement). From searching the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, we identified 48 studies conducted from 2014 to 2023, which were included when they: (a) were written in English, (b) investigated the relationship between AM and childhood trauma, (c) included a sample of children, adolescents, or adults who had experienced childhood interpersonal and/or non-interpersonal trauma. Of the 48 eligible studies, 29 referred to trauma of an interpersonal nature, 12 to trauma of a non-interpersonal nature, and 7 to overall trauma. Regarding the relationship between childhood trauma and AM, 24 studies found a negative relationship between childhood interpersonal trauma and AM; among the articles on non-interpersonal trauma, 10 studies found no relevant relationship; in the studies on overall trauma, 4 articles found negative relationship between overall trauma and AM. The literature explored in our systematic review supports the prevalence of a negative relationship between interpersonal childhood trauma and AM. This relationship is present regardless of psychiatric disorders (e.g., Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Personality Disorders), and in the presence of the latter, AM results even more fragmented. Future research should use more accurate methodologies in identifying and classifying childhood trauma in order to more precisely determine its effect on AM.

Mental Health and Well-Being in Children

Mental disorders are the largest cause of the burden of disease in the world [...]