The impact of malnutrition on intelligence at 3 and 11 years of age

The mediating role of temperament

Datos Bibliográficos

ID9788200
AutoresPETER H VENABLES (University of York, autor de correspondencia), Adrian Raine (0000-0002-3756-4307, University of Pennsylvania)
Año2016
Volumen52
Número2
Páginas205-220
Fecha de publicación2016-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaDevelopmental Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599
EditorialAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/dev0000046
PMID26569559
OpenAlexW2416611063
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas17

Previous work has shown that malnutrition has deleterious effects on both IQ and aspects of temperament. It is hypothesized that while malnutrition bears a direct relation to IQ, aspects of temperament are also involved in a mediating role so that they produce indirect associations between malnutrition and IQ. The study examines the association of 3 indices of malnutrition-stunting, anemia and wasting-to Verbal IQ (VIQ) and Performance IQ (PIQ) and temperament in 1,376 3-year-old and 11-year-old children in Mauritius. Two dimensions of temperament were extracted from ratings of behavior and were labeled as Uninhibited (UI) and Task Orientation (TO). At age 3 stunting had direct relations to Verbal IQ and Performance IQ and also indirect relations via the mediating effect of temperament (UI but not TO). In the case of anemia there were no direct relations to VIQ or PIQ but both temperament meditators were involved in indirect relations. For wasting, indirect but not direct relations were observed. When age 11 cognitive performance was examined, there were direct relations to stunting and anemia and indirect relations via UI, but not TO. The relations between malnutrition and IQ were graded and linear showing that it is not only when malnutrition is defined by its severest levels that it has an effect on cognitive performance. It is suggested that malnutrition affects those brain structures and functions that are involved in both cognitive behavior and temperament

Cognition · Developmental psychology · Intelligence quotient · Malnutrition · Personality · Psychiatry · Temperament · Wasting · Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Early Childhood Education and Development · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology