Childhood trauma relates to worse memory functioning in bipolar disorder

Childhood trauma is commonly experienced by individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BP). In BP, childhood trauma is related to a more severe clinical course, but its association with cognition remains unclear.

This study evaluated 405 adult participants diagnosed with BP and 136 controls. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. High versus low childhood trauma was defined with one standard deviation above the control participant's mean Childhood Trauma Questionnaire score. Neuropsychological data was transformed into eight cognitive factors, including four executive functioning, auditory and visual memory, fine motor, and emotion processing. Multivariate analysis of covariance evaluated group differences in cognition, while adjusting for covariates.

There were significant differences among the three groups, F(16, 968) = 4.05, p < .001, Wilks' Λ = 0.88, partial η² = 0.06. Comparing the high and low trauma BP groups, high trauma was related to lower auditory and visual memory factor scores (p < .05). As compared to controls, the BP high trauma group had lower scores on six of eight factors (all p < .01), while the BP low trauma group had lower scores on four of eight factors (all p < .01).

Analyses of factor score do not address which aspect of the memory process is affected and biomarkers may help guide interventions addressing underlying biological process.

Adults diagnosed with BP with higher childhood trauma have worse memory functioning, beyond the lower childhood trauma BP group, highlighting the importance of understanding the long-term cognitive outcomes of childhood trauma.