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<p> Background: Child maltreatment (CM) is associated with a range of negative cognitive outcomes. However, significant gaps remain in knowledge of CM in Latin American samples and the potential role of education in reducing its negative effects. Objective: We tested the effects of CM on cognitive functioning to investigate whether years of formal education mediate this relationship. Participants and Setting: One hundred Colombian children and adolescents aged 6–14 years (<i>M</i> = 9.21, <i>SD</i> = 2.21; 46 female and 54 male; 50% of whom had documented CM were recruited from a child protection institution and the community. Methods: The participants completed the Neuropsychological Assessment of Children Battery (ENI), whose dimensions are cognitive functions, academic performance, and executive cognitive functions. Results: We tested a structural model describing the associations between ENI subscales, education, and CM. Detrimental effects of maltreatment in the three main dimensions of the ENI (direct effects) were significant (<i>p</i> &lt; .001 for cognitive functions and academic performance and <i>p</i> &lt; .05 for executive functions). More importantly, the indirect effects of education were also significant for the three dimensions (<i>p</i> &lt; .01 for academic performance and <i>p</i> &lt; .05 for cognitive and executive functions). Education had a positive effect on the dimensions of the ENI, reducing the negative effects of maltreatment. Conclusions: Children who experience violence and fear from their attachment figures in place of kindness and security are at greater risk of substantial cognitive difficulties. However, formal education reduces some adverse cognitive effects of CM in children, highlighting the potential of the school environment as a protective and restorative factor against neuro-cognitive damage caused by CM.</p>

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Child Maltreatment, Cognitive Development, and Resilience: The Mediating Role of Formal Education

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月28日

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  • Juan Carlos Caicedo-Mera,
  • Pablo Muñoz,
  • Karlos Luna,
  • Ivonne Steffany Díaz,
  • Diego Mauricio Aponte

摘要

Background: Child maltreatment (CM) is associated with a range of negative cognitive outcomes. However, significant gaps remain in knowledge of CM in Latin American samples and the potential role of education in reducing its negative effects. Objective: We tested the effects of CM on cognitive functioning to investigate whether years of formal education mediate this relationship. Participants and Setting: One hundred Colombian children and adolescents aged 6–14 years (M = 9.21, SD = 2.21; 46 female and 54 male; 50% of whom had documented CM were recruited from a child protection institution and the community. Methods: The participants completed the Neuropsychological Assessment of Children Battery (ENI), whose dimensions are cognitive functions, academic performance, and executive cognitive functions. Results: We tested a structural model describing the associations between ENI subscales, education, and CM. Detrimental effects of maltreatment in the three main dimensions of the ENI (direct effects) were significant (p < .001 for cognitive functions and academic performance and p < .05 for executive functions). More importantly, the indirect effects of education were also significant for the three dimensions (p < .01 for academic performance and p < .05 for cognitive and executive functions). Education had a positive effect on the dimensions of the ENI, reducing the negative effects of maltreatment. Conclusions: Children who experience violence and fear from their attachment figures in place of kindness and security are at greater risk of substantial cognitive difficulties. However, formal education reduces some adverse cognitive effects of CM in children, highlighting the potential of the school environment as a protective and restorative factor against neuro-cognitive damage caused by CM.