A Finnish study coordinated by the Centre for Population Health Research at the University of Turku shows that accumulated adverse (不利的) psychosocial factors in childhood are associated with worse midlife learning and memory, and specifically child’s self-regulation and social adjustment.
Along with aging population, the problem of cognitive deficits (缺陷) is growing. Thus, revealing the role of various exposures beginning from childhood is important in order to bring tools for cognitive health promotion. An adverse psychosocial environment in childhood may harm cognitive development, but the associations for adulthood cognitive function remain obscure. Results from a longitudinal (纵向的) Finnish study show that unfavorable childhood psychosocial factors may be linked to poorer learning and memory in midlife.
“Previous evidence on adverse psychosocial factors and cognitive outcomes comes from short-term studies focusing on single psychosocial factor or adversity. This study is a prospective longitudinal study focusing on the associations between multiple childhood psychosocial factors and adulthood cognitive function,” says Doctoral Researcher Amanda Nurmi from the Centre for Population Health Research at the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital.
Cognitive performance was measured at the age of 34-49. Of over 2,000 participants with cognitive function data, 1,191 also had complete data on childhood psychosocial factors. Socioeconomic and emotional environment, parental health behaviours, stressful events, self-regulation, and social adjustment were questioned in the baseline. The results suggest that accumulation of unfavorable psychosocial factors in childhood may associate with poorer cognitive function in midlife. Specifically, poor self-regulatory behavior and social adjustment in childhood are associated with poorer learning ability and memory approximately 30 years later.
“The results of our study can be employed to develop targeted interventions directed towards those families with accumulated negative psychosocial factors. Interventions towards promoting a better psychosocial environment in childhood might have carry-over associations on cognitive function and thus be reflected also in future generations through parenting attitudes,” Nurmi says.
【小题1】What is the purpose of revealing the role of various exposures from childhood?| A．To provide data for scientific research. | B．To record children’s growth environment. |
| C．To find means to improve cognitive health. | D．To stress the importance of surroundings. |
| A．Obvious. | B．Secure. | C．Efficient. | D．Unclear. |
| A．The disadvantages of the previous studies. |
| B．The number of participants in the new study. |
| C．The findings of the new study and the old ones. |
| D．The difference between the new study and the old ones. |
| A．Poor family, hard social adjustment. |
| B．Tough childhood, memory problem later. |
| C．With people aging, cognitive deficits growing. |
| D．Adverse surroundings, strong character forming. |
