Neuropsychological functioning: comparison of mothers at high- and low-risk for child physical abuse

The present study investigated the performance of high- and low-risk (for child physical abuse) mothers on cognitive measures in a cry (crying infant) and no-cry condition. The degree to which observed risk group differences in cognitive abilities were due to group differences in depression and/or anxiety was explored.

Forty mothers, 20 high-risk and 20 demographically matched low-risk mothers, participated in the study. All mothers completed neuropsychological measures of conceptual ability, cognitive flexibility, ability to adjust responses, verbal fluency, attention, and susceptibility of interference, and measures of intellectual functioning, depression, and anxiety.

Although initial analyses indicated expected risk group differences on most of the neuropsychological measures, a second set of analyses, that controlled for group differences in IQ, revealed risk group differences only on measures of conceptual ability, cognitive flexibility, and problem-solving skills. In a third set of analyses that controlled for group differences in IQ, depression, and anxiety, no risk group differences on any of the neuropsychological measures were found. In each analysis, expected interactions between risk group and cry condition were not found.

The findings support clinical reports of cognitive differences in abusive and nonabusive mothers, but indicate that clinically observed cognitive deficits in high-risk and abusive mothers may be associated with lower levels of intellectual ability and with higher levels of depression and anxiety that are commonly reported in high-risk and abusive mothers.