6533b830fe1ef96bd1297122

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Emotional awareness and cognitive performance in borderline intellectual functioning young adolescents

Francesca Felicia OpertoMarco CarotenutoGiovanni Di MartinoDaniela SmirniPietro Smirni

subject

MaleElementary cognitive taskEmotional awareneActivities of daily livingAdolescentEmotionsDevelopmental psychology03 medical and health sciencesCognition0302 clinical medicineBorderline intellectual functioningAlexithymiaIntellectual DisabilitySurveys and QuestionnairesSettore M-PSI/08 - Psicologia ClinicamedicineHumansInterpersonal RelationsCognitive skillNeuropsychological assessmentCognitive performanceChildmedicine.diagnostic_testSettore M-PSI/02 - Psicobiologia E Psicologia FisiologicafungiCognitionEmotional awareness borderline intellectual functioning cognitive performance young adolescentsmedicine.disease030227 psychiatryPsychiatry and Mental healthMentalizationYoung adolescentsFemalePsychologyPsychomotor Performance030217 neurology & neurosurgeryBorderline intellectual functioning

description

According to DSM-5 and ICD-10, borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) should not be classified properly as a disorder. However, BIF people may present relevant problems of adaptive functioning in several areas of daily activities, and they seem to be more vulnerable to mental diseases. Young adolescence may be considered a particular period for emotional information processing. The "own and others' emotions" awareness can play a crucial role in many daily life situations, such as decision making, interpersonal relationships, and decoding of facial expressions. On this background, a BIF young adolescents group underwent a neuropsychological assessment including emotional and cognitive domains, and was compared with a healthy young adolescents control group (HC). In the overall sample, a significant negative correlation between general intellectual abilities and emotional awareness was found. The BIF group showed a significantly greater level of alexithymia and a poorer performance in higher cognitive tasks than HC group. As hypothesized, a border cognitive functioning influences mentalization processes as ability to discriminate and monitor emotions, as well as higher domains of cognition.

10.1097/nmd.0000000000000972http://hdl.handle.net/10447/352257