Memory as a Moderator in the Relationship Between Child Sexual Abuse and Maladaptive Functioning in People With Severe Mental Illness

Despite substantial research literature supporting the impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) on neuropsychological development and functional outcomes, severity of CSA has been neglected in the outcome analyses in people with severe mental illness. Furthermore, there is a paucity of studies examining variables that may moderate the relationship between CSA severity and functional outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of CSA severity on maladaptive functioning (e.g., irritability and psychoticism) in people with severe mental illness, and to explore the moderating effect of memory on the relationship between CSA and maladaptive functioning. Among 33 inpatients with severe mental illness, severity of CSA was positively associated with maladaptive functioning as measured by the Nurses’ Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation-30. Persons with higher memory capacity, even among those exposed to severe CSA, were less likely to display irritability and psychoticism in an in-patient psychiatric rehabilitation program. Implications for treatment and assessment in severe mental illness are discussed.