Exploring the relationships between Early Childhood Adversity, Social Cognition, and Aggression in a South African Study of People Living with Schizophrenia
People living with schizophrenia (PLS) are at increased risk of being both victims and perpetrators of violence. Recent research suggests that social cognitive impairments may contribute to heightened aggression in schizophrenia. Childhood trauma, a well-established risk factor for both schizophreni...
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Elsevier
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Schizophrenia Research: Cognition |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221500132500040X |
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| author | K. van der Walt O. Wootton J. Rokicki A. Vaskinn D. Jonker M. Campbell E. Susser U.K. Haukvik R.C. Gur D.J. Stein C. Friestad |
| author_facet | K. van der Walt O. Wootton J. Rokicki A. Vaskinn D. Jonker M. Campbell E. Susser U.K. Haukvik R.C. Gur D.J. Stein C. Friestad |
| author_sort | K. van der Walt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | People living with schizophrenia (PLS) are at increased risk of being both victims and perpetrators of violence. Recent research suggests that social cognitive impairments may contribute to heightened aggression in schizophrenia. Childhood trauma, a well-established risk factor for both schizophrenia and aggression, is also linked to more severe cognitive deficits in PLS. Few studies have explored the relationships between childhood trauma, social cognition, and aggression in large sample sizes, particularly in low- and middle-income settings, where varying socioeconomic factors and exposure to violence may influence these associations. In this study, a subsample of participants (PLS = 585; controls = 882) from the Genomics of Schizophrenia in the South African Xhosa People study completed The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Penn Emotion Identification Test (ER), Life History of Aggression Questionnaire (LHA), and Structured Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. Group differences in CTQ, ER, LHA, and selected demographic and clinical factors were assessed using t-tests and chi-square tests. Multivariable linear regressions were employed to test for associations among CTQ, ER, and LHA. We found that PLS had significantly higher childhood trauma and lifetime aggression scores and poorer emotion recognition performance than controls. Higher childhood trauma was associated with higher lifetime aggression and worse emotion recognition performance. However, emotion recognition performance was not associated with lifetime aggression. In this setting, childhood trauma predicts lifetime aggression and poorer emotion recognition, but there is no evidence that emotion recognition ability is related to aggression. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c795cd2a459447298893b9982b118e19 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2215-0013 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Schizophrenia Research: Cognition |
| spelling | doaj-art-c795cd2a459447298893b9982b118e192025-08-20T05:06:58ZengElsevierSchizophrenia Research: Cognition2215-00132025-12-014210038210.1016/j.scog.2025.100382Exploring the relationships between Early Childhood Adversity, Social Cognition, and Aggression in a South African Study of People Living with SchizophreniaK. van der Walt0O. Wootton1J. Rokicki2A. Vaskinn3D. Jonker4M. Campbell5E. Susser6U.K. Haukvik7R.C. Gur8D.J. Stein9C. Friestad10Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Corresponding author.Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South AfricaCentre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, NorwayCentre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Centre for Precision Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South AfricaChild and Adolescent Health Unit, Department of Paediatric and Child Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Global Initiative for Neuropsychiatric Genetics Education in Research, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USADepartment of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USACentre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Adult Psychiatry Department, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, NorwayBrain Behavior Laboratories, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; SAMRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South AfricaCentre for Research and Education in Forensic Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; University College of Norwegian Correctional Services, Lillestrøm, NorwayPeople living with schizophrenia (PLS) are at increased risk of being both victims and perpetrators of violence. Recent research suggests that social cognitive impairments may contribute to heightened aggression in schizophrenia. Childhood trauma, a well-established risk factor for both schizophrenia and aggression, is also linked to more severe cognitive deficits in PLS. Few studies have explored the relationships between childhood trauma, social cognition, and aggression in large sample sizes, particularly in low- and middle-income settings, where varying socioeconomic factors and exposure to violence may influence these associations. In this study, a subsample of participants (PLS = 585; controls = 882) from the Genomics of Schizophrenia in the South African Xhosa People study completed The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Penn Emotion Identification Test (ER), Life History of Aggression Questionnaire (LHA), and Structured Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. Group differences in CTQ, ER, LHA, and selected demographic and clinical factors were assessed using t-tests and chi-square tests. Multivariable linear regressions were employed to test for associations among CTQ, ER, and LHA. We found that PLS had significantly higher childhood trauma and lifetime aggression scores and poorer emotion recognition performance than controls. Higher childhood trauma was associated with higher lifetime aggression and worse emotion recognition performance. However, emotion recognition performance was not associated with lifetime aggression. In this setting, childhood trauma predicts lifetime aggression and poorer emotion recognition, but there is no evidence that emotion recognition ability is related to aggression.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221500132500040XPsychotic DisordersSchizophreniaAdverse Childhood ExperiencesSocial CognitionAggressionLow- and Middle-Income Countries |
| spellingShingle | K. van der Walt O. Wootton J. Rokicki A. Vaskinn D. Jonker M. Campbell E. Susser U.K. Haukvik R.C. Gur D.J. Stein C. Friestad Exploring the relationships between Early Childhood Adversity, Social Cognition, and Aggression in a South African Study of People Living with Schizophrenia Schizophrenia Research: Cognition Psychotic Disorders Schizophrenia Adverse Childhood Experiences Social Cognition Aggression Low- and Middle-Income Countries |
| title | Exploring the relationships between Early Childhood Adversity, Social Cognition, and Aggression in a South African Study of People Living with Schizophrenia |
| title_full | Exploring the relationships between Early Childhood Adversity, Social Cognition, and Aggression in a South African Study of People Living with Schizophrenia |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the relationships between Early Childhood Adversity, Social Cognition, and Aggression in a South African Study of People Living with Schizophrenia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the relationships between Early Childhood Adversity, Social Cognition, and Aggression in a South African Study of People Living with Schizophrenia |
| title_short | Exploring the relationships between Early Childhood Adversity, Social Cognition, and Aggression in a South African Study of People Living with Schizophrenia |
| title_sort | exploring the relationships between early childhood adversity social cognition and aggression in a south african study of people living with schizophrenia |
| topic | Psychotic Disorders Schizophrenia Adverse Childhood Experiences Social Cognition Aggression Low- and Middle-Income Countries |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221500132500040X |
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