Neurocognitive Functioning in Adolescents at Risk for Mental Health Problems

Abstract

Background: The main goal of the study was to assess the neurocognitive performance in adolescents at high psychometric risk for mental health problems. Method: A sample of 48 participants at high risk for mental disorders and an age-gender matched healthy comparison group of 48 adolescents were identified from a community-derived sample of 1,509 adolescents. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire problems and the University of Pennsylvania Computerized Neuropsychological Test Battery for children (included 14 tasks assessing five neurobehavioral domains: executive functions, episodic memory, complex cognition, social cognition, and sensorimotor speed) were used. Results: Relative to healthy comparison participants, individuals at high risk showed significant impairments across almost all neurocognitive domains (executive functions, episodic memory, complex cognition, social cognition, and sensorimotor speed). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that neurocognitive impairments can be shown in adolescents at high psychometric risk for mental health problems before the onset of more severe psychological problems..