1. Effect of childhood emotional abuse on depression and anxiety in adulthood is partially mediated by neuroticism: Evidence from a large online sample.
- Author
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Alnassar JS, Juruena MF, Macare C, Perkins AM, and Young AH
- Subjects
- Humans, Male, Female, Adult, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Anxiety Disorders psychology, Anxiety Disorders epidemiology, Young Adult, Adverse Childhood Experiences statistics & numerical data, Adverse Childhood Experiences psychology, Adolescent, Personality, Child, Child Abuse psychology, Child Abuse statistics & numerical data, Personality Inventory, Neuroticism, Emotional Abuse psychology, Emotional Abuse statistics & numerical data, Depression psychology, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse psychology, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse statistics & numerical data, Anxiety psychology
- Abstract
Childhood trauma is widely recognized as a potential risk factor for psychiatric illness in adulthood, yet the precise mechanisms underlying this relationship remain incompletely understood. One proposed mechanism involves the impact of childhood trauma on personality development, particularly in relation to neuroticism, which may subsequently heighten susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate this hypothesis through an online survey involving 1116 participants (232 male, 21 %). Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), assessing emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect, along with the Trait Self-Description Inventory (TSDI) for personality assessment and the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 clinical questionnaires for depression and anxiety symptoms evaluation, respectively. Our analyses revealed significant positive correlations between all facets of childhood trauma and neuroticism (all p < .01). Linear regression analysis demonstrated that emotional abuse significantly contributed to neuroticism (β = 0.267, p < .05), openness (β = 0.142, p < .05), and agreeableness (β = 0.089, p < .05), while sexual abuse was associated with agreeableness (β = 0.137, p < .01) Emotional neglect was negatively correlated with conscientiousness (β = -0.090, p < .01), extroversion (β = -0.109, p < .01) and agreeableness (β = -0.154, p < .01). Furthermore, linear regression analysis revealed that emotional abuse was positively and significantly correlated with PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores (r = 0.330, p < .01 and r = 0.327, p < .01, respectively). Mediation analysis supported a significant mediating role of neuroticism in the association between childhood emotional abuse and both depression (PHQ-9) (z = 8.681, p < .01) and anxiety (GAD-7) (z = 9.206, p < .01). Notably, the correlation between childhood emotional abuse and psychiatric symptoms was attenuated but not eliminated after controlling for neuroticism, suggesting partial mediation. While our cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, our findings support the notion that childhood emotional abuse may contribute to increased neuroticism, thereby elevating vulnerability to affective disorders in adulthood. These results underscore the importance of considering personality factors in understanding the long-term consequences of childhood trauma on mental health outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest This study was funded by The Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), and King's College London. AHY and MFJ are supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. This report represents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre and South London and Maudsley National Health Service Foundation Trust and King's College London. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Health Service, National Institute for Health Research, or Department of Health. The authors report no conflicts of interest in relation to this work., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)
- Published
- 2024
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