Childhood Trauma Predicts Poor Mental Health in Adults

TOPLINE:

A study showed that increased exposure to childhood trauma was associated with poor mental health outcomes, increased stress, and higher risks for suicide among adults. Stress appraisals and perceived stress mediated this association.

METHODOLOGY:

• In this prospective study, 273 adults (mean age, 38 years; 48.4% men; 85% White) completed online questionnaires in two sessions.
• Researchers assessed the potential associations between childhood trauma (including emotional/physical/sexual abuse and emotional/physical neglect) and outcomes in adulthood related to mental health, suicide risk factors, and stress.
• Session 1 included the collection of data on demographics, history of childhood trauma, perceived social support, subjective socioeconomic status, and suicide-related experiences.
• After 1 week, session 2 included the collection of data on daily stress appraisals; severity of depression and anxiety; and perceived stress, defeat, and entrapment.

TAKEAWAY:

• Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) scores were significantly correlated with stress appraisals, perceived stress, depression, anxiety, defeat, entrapment, social support, and subjective socioeconomic status (P < .01 for all).
• CTQ scores significantly predicted stress appraisals, perceived stress, depression, anxiety, defeat, and entrapment (P < .001 for all).
• Childhood trauma had significant indirect effects on mental health and suicide risk factors via stress appraisals (depression, anxiety, defeat, and entrapment; P < .001 for all) and perceived stress (depression, anxiety, defeat, and entrapment; P < .001 for all).
• Social support, subjective socioeconomic status, and suicide-related history did not moderate the association between CTQ scores and mental health outcomes, stress-related outcomes, and suicide risk factors among adults.

IN PRACTICE:

“[The study] findings underscore the enduring impact of childhood trauma on mental health outcomes and suicide risk in adulthood, mediated through its influence on stress appraisals and perceptions of stress encountered in daily life,” the authors wrote.

“These current findings may inform interventions designed to reduce the negative effects of childhood trauma,” they added.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Leizhi Wang, School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, England. It was published online on June 23 in PLOS One.

LIMITATIONS:

This study did not include participants’ current health conditions, potentially leading to confounding. Additional limitations included the lack of a longitudinal study design and lack of objective stress assessments such as the measurement of cortisol levels.

DISCLOSURES:

This study did not receive any specific funding, and the authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.