Early life experiences and social cognition in major psychiatric disorders: A systematic review.
Rokita, Karolina I. ; Dauvermann, Maria R. ; Donohoe, Gary
Rokita, Karolina I.
Dauvermann, Maria R.
Donohoe, Gary
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Repository DOI
Publication Date
2018-08-22
Type
Article
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Citation
Rokita, Karolina I., Dauvermann, Maria R., & Donohoe, Gary. (2018). Early life experiences and social cognition in major psychiatric disorders: A systematic review. European Psychiatry, 53, 123-133. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.06.006
Abstract
Objective To present a systematic review of the literature on the associations between early social environment, early life adversity, and social cognition in major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. Method Relevant studies were identified via electronic and manual searches of the literature and included articles written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals up to May 2018. Quality assessment was performed using the quality evaluation scale employed in previous systematic reviews. Results A total of 25 studies were included in the systematic review with the quality assessment scores ranging from 3 to 6 (out of 6). The vast majority of the studies reviewed showed a significant association between early childhood social experience, including both insecure attachment and adversity relating to neglect or abuse, and poorer social cognitive performance. Conclusion We discuss these findings in the context of an attachment model, suggesting that childhood social adversity may result in poor internal working models, selective attention toward emotional stimuli and greater difficulties with emotional self-regulation. We outline some of the steps required to translate this understanding of social cognitive dysfunction in major psychiatric disorders into a target for interventions that mitigate the adverse effects of childhood maltreatment and poor parental attachment on social cognition.
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher DOI
10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.06.006
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Ireland