Examining the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and attention deficits in children

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating illness that affects children. Symptoms of the disorder involve negative behavioral and emotional changes that are associated with biological and cognitive alterations. Research with adult populations reveals impaired cognitive functioning in individuals with PTSD, particularly in the areas of working memory and sustained attention. Some research utilizing subjective parent and teacher reports of children's attention-related behavior suggests that children may also experience impairment in these areas; however, only a few studies have attempted to use objective and direct tasks to measure attention in youth. Within the existing literature, there is evidence of deficits in sustained attention in children with PTSD, but findings have been inconclusive regarding working memory deficits. The current study examined attention deficits in youth using measures of sustained attention and working memory. Results support the existing literature that shows sustained attention deficits in youth with clinically significant PTSD symptoms, and echo findings of a lack of working memory deficits. The current study expanded the existing literature by examining symptom-level effects on sustained attention and working memory, demonstrating that children with clinical levels of hyperarousal and avoidance symptoms performed worse on tasks of sustained attention when compared to children without clinical levels of symptoms. Findings may help improve the field's understanding of the cognitive correlates of PTSD, which may have an impact on school performance and approaches to assessing and treating the disorder.