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Childhood maltreatment (CM) is thought to be associated with altered responses to social stimuli and interpersonal signals. However, limited evidence exists that CM is linked to larger comfortable interpersonal distance (CID) - the physical distance humans prefer towards others during social interactions. However, no previous study has investigated this association in a comprehensive sample, yielding sufficient statistical power. Moreover, preliminary findings are limited to the European region. Finally, it is unclear how CM affects CID towards different interaction partners, and whether CID is linked to social functioning and attachment. To address these outstanding issues, adults (N = 2986) from diverse cultures and socio-economic strata completed a reaction time task measuring CID towards an approaching stranger and friend. Higher CM was linked to a larger CID towards both friends and strangers. Moreover, insecure attachment and less social support were associated with larger CID. These findings demonstrate for the first time that CM affects CID across countries and cultures, highlighting the robustness of this association., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Pregnancy loss (PL) is a common, yet rarely examined public health issue associated with an increased risk of impaired mental health, particularly depression. Objective: Previous research shows childlessness to be a correlate of depression after PL. First studies also indicate associations of the type of loss, multiple losses, relationship quality, and coping strategies with depression after the loss of a pregnancy. However, results are inconsistent and the few existing studies show methodological deficits. Therefore, we expect higher depression scores for women without living children, and we exploratively examine the associations between the type of loss, the number of losses, relationship quality, and coping strategies with depression scores for women who suffered a PL. Method: In an online setting, N  = 172 women with miscarriage ( n  = 137) or stillbirth ( n  = 35) throughout the last 12 months completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-D), Brief-COPE, and Partnerschaftsfragebogen (PFB), a German questionnaire measuring relationship quality. Results: In a multiple hierarchical regression analysis, stillbirth, β = 0.15, p  = .035, presence of living children, β = -0.17, p  = .022, and self-blame/emotional avoidance, β = 0.34, p  < .001, are predictors of depression scores. However, there was no association between depression symptoms and other coping strategies, relationship quality, and multiple losses. Conclusions: Especially with regard to women who have no living children, have suffered a stillbirth, or are affected by self-blame/emotional avoidance, health care providers should monitor the presence of depressive symptoms. Our results indicate the need for specific instruments measuring coping style and relationship quality after PL, since the standard items of the PFB and the Brief-COPE seem inappropriate for this setting.

Background: Perceived social support is an established predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to a traumatic event. Gender is an important factor that could differentiate responses to social support, yet this has been little explored. Symptoms of complex PTSD are also common following trauma but have been under-researched in this context. Large scale studies with culturally diverse samples are particularly lacking. Objectives: In a multi-country sample, we examined: (a) gender differences in perceived social support and both posttraumatic stress symptom severity (PTSS) and complex posttraumatic stress symptom severity (CPTSS); (b) associations between social support and PTSS/CPTSS; and (c) the potential moderating role of gender in the relationship between perceived social support and trauma-related distress. Method: A total of 2483 adults ( M age   = 30yrs, 69.9% females) from 39 countries, who had been exposed to mixed trauma types, completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the International Trauma Questionnaire (which captures PTSS/CPTSS). Regression analyses examined associations between gender, perceived social support, and PTSS/CPTSS; and tested for gender by social support interactions in predicting PTSS/CPTSS scores. Models were adjusted for age and socioeconomic status. Results: In our cross-country sample, females had greater PTSS/CPTSS than males ( B  = .23 [95% CI 0.16, 0.30], p  < .001; B  = .20 [0.12, 0.27], p  < .001; respectively), but there was no evidence of gender differences in perceived social support ( B  = .05 [-0.05, 0.16], p  = .33). For both genders, low perceived social support was associated with higher PTSS/CPTSS (females: B  = -.16 [-0.20, -0.12], p  < .001; B  = -.27 [-0.30, -0.24], p  < .001; respectively; males: B  = -.22 [-0.29, -0.15], p  < .001; B  = -.31 [-0.36, -0.26], p  < .001; respectively), and for PTSS only we found weak evidence that this association was stronger for males vs. females ( B  = .07 [0.04, 0.14, p  = .04). Conclusion: Individuals who feel more socially supported have lower trauma-related distress, and this association is similar in males and females. PTSD/CPTSD interventions may benefit from augmenting perceived social support, regardless of gender.