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Interactions of biomedical and environmental risk factors for cognitive development: a preliminary study of sickle

Jeffrey Schatz1, Robert Finke, Carla W Roberts

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA. schatz@sc.edu

Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|October 27, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Sickle cell disease (SCD) impacts cognitive development, with anemia severity and socioeconomic status (SES) interacting to affect children’s general cognitive ability and memory. Interventions must consider these combined risks for better outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Sickle cell disease (SCD) presents numerous biopsychosocial risk factors impacting cognitive development.
  • Understanding the interplay of these risk factors is crucial for designing effective cognitive interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess cognitive abilities in children with SCD.
  • To examine the relationship between cognitive performance, anemia severity, and socioeconomic status (SES) in children with SCD.
  • To investigate the interaction effects between anemia severity and SES on cognitive functioning.

Main Methods:

  • Cognitive abilities were assessed in 50 children with SCD and compared to 36 demographically matched peers without SCD.
  • Statistical analyses explored the predictive roles of anemia severity and SES, and their interaction, on cognitive performance.

Main Results:

  • Children with SCD exhibited cognitive weaknesses in general cognitive ability, crystallized ability, short-term memory, and processing speed.
  • Anemia severity was a significant predictor for general cognitive ability, crystallized ability, and processing speed.
  • Significant interactions between anemia severity and SES were observed for general cognitive ability and short-term memory.

Conclusions:

  • Cognitive deficits in SCD are influenced by both anemia severity and SES, with interactive effects observed.
  • The impact of SCD on cognitive functioning varies based on the child's socioenvironmental risk profile.
  • Biomedical interventions for cognitive enhancement in SCD may require tailoring based on the presence of additional socioenvironmental risk factors.

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