Interplay Between Childhood Maltreatment, Subclinical Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, and IQ: Findings From the EU-GEI Multicentre Case–Control Study

Lucia Sideli*, Monica Aas, Luis Alameda, Giulia Trotta, Daniele La Barbera, Caterina La Cascia, Laura Ferraro, Eva Velthorst, Giada Tripoli, Adriano Schimmenti, Andrea Fontana, Diego Quattrone, Charlotte Gayer-Anderson, Victoria Rodriguez, Edoardo Spinazzola, Simona Stilo, Fabio Seminerio, Crocettarachele Sartorio, Giovanna Marrazzo, Antonio LasalviaSarah Tosato, Ilaria Tarricone, Giuseppe D'Andrea, Silvia Amoretti, Álvaro Andreu-Bernabeu, Grégoire Baudin, Stephanie Beards, Chiara Bonetto, Elena Bonora, Bibiana Cabrera, Angel Carracedo, Thomas Charpeaud, Javier Costas, Doriana Cristofalo, Manuel Durán-Cutilla, Aziz Ferchiou, David Fraguas, Nathalie Franke, Flora Frijda, Cloe Llorente, Paz Garcia-Portilla, Javier González Peñas, Kathryn Hubbard, Stéphane Jamain, Estela Jiménez-López, Marion Leboyer, Gonzalo López Montoya, Jean Paul Selten, Jim Van Os, Bart P. Rutten, EU-GEI WP2 Group

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment affects cognitive performance in both patients with psychosis and community controls. However, the interplay between childhood maltreatment, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and intelligence has not been investigated. This study investigated the relationship between childhood maltreatment, subclinical PTSS, and intelligence among patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and community controls. Methods: Patients with FEP (N = 602) and controls (N = 853) from the EU-GEI study were assessed for childhood maltreatment, PTSS, and intelligence quotient (IQ). Results: PTSS were associated with lower IQ among community controls but not among patients with FEP. In the FEP group, an interaction (p = 0.044) between PTSS and childhood maltreatment on IQ was found, such that the association between PTSS and lower IQ was only present among those exposed to childhood maltreatment. No interaction was evident in controls (p = 0.826). Conclusions: The findings suggest the relevance of cognitive rehabilitation for FEP patients with childhood maltreatment and PTSS.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere70079
JournalEarly Intervention in Psychiatry
Volume19
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2025

Keywords

  • childhood maltreatment
  • first episode
  • intelligence
  • post-traumatic stress
  • psychosis

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