Neuropsychological Implications of Child Sexual Abuse: A Literature Review

Abstract

As reported in the literature, childhood maltreatment may impair proper cognitive development, which in later years can cause significant and lasting damage. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the studies that link alterations in executive functions and sexual abuse in childhood. The sample involved articles indexed in PubMed and Web of Science that were identified through a selection of different keywords. The 430 articles found were finally reduced to nine that met our inclusion criteria. There are few studies presenting results on the impact of this type of maltreatment. Besides, it calls for future studies that include variables that have not been considered in previous studies.