Personality traits as possible mediators in the relationship between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents

Relationship between ruminative style and adolescent depression

BACKGROUND

The role of rumination in depression remains controversial. We aimed to establish the ruminative tendency style theory (RTST), discuss the occurrence of depression in adolescents with rumination as the core, and explore the different associations between adolescent ruminative tendency, ruminative style, and depression.

METHODS

This study employed an online questionnaire survey of 1110 Chinese adolescents aged 12-17 years, assessing ruminative tendency, ruminative style, stressful life events, depressive state, depressive trait, the Big Five personality traits, and social support. Conditional process analysis was used to test the chain mediation effect with Ruminative Style as a moderator. After screening for the predictor variables, a logistic regression risk prediction model was established and validated internally.

RESULTS

The chain mediation effect of ruminative tendency and depressive trait between stressful life events and depressive state was significant, with the indirect effect accounting for 63.4%. Ruminative Style negatively moderated the relationship between Ruminative Tendency and Depressive Trait (β=-0.053，P＜0.001). The risk prediction model for depressive state showed good calibration and clinical utility. Area under the curve values for the validation and training sets were 0.926 and 0.927, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Different associations may exist between adolescent ruminative tendency, ruminative style, and depression, and the proposal of ruminative style is of great significance for intervention in adolescent depression.

The effect of childhood trauma on depression in college students: A moderated mediation model

OBJECTIVE

Childhood trauma is considered as a critical risk factor for depression. Although many studies have investigated the pathway of Childhood trauma to depression, especially the mediating or moderating effects of cognitive emotion regulation strategies or neuroticism or stress perception, the results were inconsistent and the underlying psychological mechanisms of depression remain unclear. This study aims to explore the influence and mechanism of childhood trauma on depression in college students, and establish a full model among these interactive factors.

METHODS

1272 college students were surveyed using the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ), short version of center for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D), Chinese perceived stress scale (CPSS), neuroticism extraversion openness five-factor inventory (NEO-FFI), and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ).

RESULTS

(1) Childhood trauma, neuroticism, stress perception, and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies were all significantly and positively correlated with depression among college students; (2) Stress perception and neuroticism act as a chain mediator between childhood trauma and depression in college students. (3) Maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies play a moderating role in "childhood trauma-neuroticism-depression".

CONCLUSION

Childhood trauma increases the risk of depression in college students by affecting neuroticism and stress perception, and high levels of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies link neuroticism and enhance the effect of childhood trauma on depression in college students.

Sex differences in the relationship between brain gray matter volume and psychological resilience in late adolescence

Psychological resilience reflects an individual's ability to adapt and cope successfully in adverse environments and situations, making it a crucial trait in resisting stress-linked mental disorders and physical diseases. Although prior literature has consistently shown that males are more resilient than females, the sex-linked neuroanatomical correlates of psychological resilience are largely unknown. This study aims to explore the sex-specific relation between psychological resilience and brain gray matter volume (GMV) in adolescents via structural magnetic resonance imaging (s-MRI). A cohort of 231 healthy adolescents (121/110 females/males), aged 16 to 20 completed brain s-MRI scanning and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and other controlling behavioral tests. With s-MRI data, an optimized voxel-based morphometry method was used to estimate regional GMV, and a whole-brain condition-by-covariate interaction analysis was performed to identify the brain regions showing sex effects on the relation between psychological resilience and GMV. Male adolescents scored significantly higher than females on the CD-RISC. The association of psychological resilience with GMV differed between the two sex groups in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex extending to the adjacent anterior insula, with a positive correlation among males and a negative correlation among females. The sex-specific association between psychological resilience and GMV might be linked to sex differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and brain maturation during adolescence. This study may be novel in revealing the sex-linked neuroanatomical basis of psychological resilience, highlighting the need for a more thorough investigation of the role of sex in future studies of psychological resilience and stress-related illness.

Childhood maltreatment and depressed mood in female college students: A daily diary analysis

BACKGROUND

Childhood maltreatment has well-documented relations with depressed mood. However, few studies have used a daily diary methodology to investigate the association between all five forms of childhood maltreatment (emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, emotional and physical neglect) and depressed mood, and the mechanisms underlying the association remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The current study sought to examine the associations of multiple forms of childhood maltreatment with depressed mood via a 14-day daily diary methodology, and investigate the mediating effects of self-compassion and perceived social support.

METHODS

A sample of 220 Chinese female college students (Mage = 19.13 years) participated in this study and completed questionnaires regarding childhood maltreatment, self-compassion, perceived social support and depressed mood.

RESULTS

The multilevel regression analysis indicated that only emotional abuse was slightly associated with depressed mood, while emotional neglect, physical abuse, physical neglect, or sexual abuse were not associated with depressed mood. The multilevel mediation analysis further revealed that self-compassion and perceived social support independently mediated the association of childhood emotional abuse with depressed mood.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, these results emphasize the specific association between childhood emotional abuse and daily depressed mood, and further support self-compassion and perceived social support as explanatory mechanisms linking childhood emotional abuse with later depressed mood.

The mediating role of personality traits in the association between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in young adulthood

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of the Big 5 personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness) in the association between early traumatization and depressive symptoms in early adulthood (20-25-year-olds) in a German population-based sample.

METHODS

A total of 3176 participants from the German National Cohort (NAKO) baseline with an age between 20 and 25 years were included in this investigation. The sum score of the 9-item-version of the Patient Health Questionnaire was used for assessment of depressive symptoms. A structural equation model was built to test the paths between childhood trauma, Big 5 personality traits and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Overall, 10.7 % of the young adult sample had a PHQ-9 sum score of ten or higher. The final mediation model fitted well for young adults. We found evidence for a partial mediating effect of Big 5 personality traits.

LIMITATIONS

We only adjusted for age, sex, and year of data collection and did not include biological factors in the model.

CONCLUSION

Young adults with early trauma experiences have a risk for developing depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Personality traits, especially neuroticism, partially mediated the association between early trauma and depressive symptoms for young adults and should be recognized in preventive strategies.

The impact of childhood trauma on perceived stress and personality in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: A cross-sectional network analysis

OBJECTIVE

Little is known about the role of childhood experiences in the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the influence of childhood experiences on personality, behavior, and perceived stress may vary between OCD patients and healthy individuals. The objective of this study was to use network analysis to explore the relationship between childhood trauma, personality, perceived stress, and symptom dimensions, thus finding the difference between patients' and healthy people's network.

METHODS

488 patients with OCD and 210 healthy volunteers were recruited. All of them were assessed with the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory - Revised (OCI-R), the Perceived Stress Scale-10, the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and the Early Trauma Inventory Self-Report Short Form. Network analysis was conducted and the centrality indices were calculated. Network comparison test was performed.

RESULTS

In patients' network, the Obsession and the Ordering behavior were the most important nodes among the OCI-R. The perceived stress showed the strongest strength centrality of all nodes and positive correlation with the Obsession and Neuroticism. Network comparison test results indicated a statistically significant difference between network structure, and post-hoc analysis found five edges significantly differed between patients and healthy controls, mainly on Obsession and Washing behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional abuse was considered significant in both networks due to its higher strength centrality. Meanwhile, perceived stress was found to be more significant in the patient network and exhibited stronger associations with obsession. The obsessive thoughts and washing behavior were different among patients and healthy controls, which brought new understanding to the pathopsychological mechanisms of OCD.

The association of adverse reactions and depression in cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy: moderated mediation models

Objective

Several studies reported that adverse reactions to treatment, neuroticism, marital relations, and quality of life may impact the development of depression in cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, but the associations between them remained unclear. This study investigated the associations between these factors using moderated mediation models.

Methods

Data were extracted from a survey involving cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy at five tertiary hospitals in Hubei Province, China, from June to December 2022. The SPSS-PROCESS program was used to develop a moderated mediation model to study the roles of neuroticism, quality of life, and marital relations in the association between adverse reactions and depression in the study population.

Results

A total of 802 cervical cancer patients treated with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy (54.84 ± 9.68 years) were recruited. The prevalence of depression among these patients was 72.72%, with four symptom clusters of dizziness-ringing in the ears, digestive system-related symptoms, skin dryness and itching, and urinary frequency-urgency-leakage. Adverse reactions directly and positively affected the occurrence of depression, neuroticism mediated the association between adverse reactions and depression, while this association varied according to the quality of life and marital relations.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that depression is common among cervical cancer patients receiving radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Intervention targets for depression in cervical cancer patients should be precisely selected and targeted according to the quality of life and marital relations differences in patients, taking into account the cost of the intervention and the benefit to the patient.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms and Multi-level Family Factors in Chinese Migrant Children: A Network Perspective

Based on the network theory of mental disorders, this study used network analysis to examine the network of ODD symptoms and multilevel family factors and identify the most crucial family factors influencing ODD symptoms in children. A total of 718 Chinese migrant children aged 7-14 years participated in this study. This study measured ODD symptoms, family system-level variables (3 factors), family dyadic-level variables (6 factors), and family individual-level variables (6 factors) with factors selected based on the multilevel family factors theory of ODD symptoms. The results indicated that (1) "annoy" was the center symptom of ODD, (2) "annoy" and "vindictive" was the main bridge connecting the multilevel family factors, and (3) family cohesion at the family system level, parent-child conflict at the family dyadic level, and parental depression at the family individual level were critical central and bridging influencing factors. The findings of this study highlight the critical role of "annoy" and "vindictive" symptoms in the activation of ODD symptom networks in children and provide a basis for future improvements in diagnostic criteria. These potential core and bridge factors might become key intervention targets for childhood ODD.

Childhood trauma and its influence on the clinical features of bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Childhood trauma is an environmental risk factor for bipolar disorder (BD), But its influence on the clinical features of BD has not been examined sufficiently.

OBJECTIVE

We compared the childhood trauma between patients with BD and healthy controls (HCs) and determined how childhood trauma impacts clinical features, such as severity, mood episodes, and disease duration.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The study population comprised patients with BD (in a state of euthymia or depression, n = 90) and HCs (n = 94).

METHODS

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders was used to diagnose BD and ascertain its clinical features. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to assess childhood trauma.

RESULTS

The total CTQ score and scores for the CTQ subscales emotional abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect, significantly differed between the BD and HC groups. Emotional abuse was correlated with higher Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) score and more frequent mood episodes; emotional neglect was correlated with higher HARS score, longer disease duration, and more mood episodes; and total CTQ score was positively correlated with HARS score, disease duration, and mood episodes. Regression analysis showed that emotional neglect significantly predicted HARS score, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score, and disease duration in the BD group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with BD have more serious childhood trauma. General childhood trauma, emotional abuse, and emotional neglect negatively affect the clinical features of BD.

Childhood adversity and depression in Chinese populations: A multilevel meta-analysis of studies using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ)

To estimate the association between childhood adversity (CA) and depression in Chinese populations in studies using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), a literature retrieval from established databases between 2005 and 2020 was conducted. A total 40 eligible studies with 145 effect sizes were included in subsequent analyses. Using a multi-level meta-analysis, we found a pooled effect size of r = 0.24, p < 0.001, CI = [0.20, 0.27] for the association between CA and depression. No publication bias was shown by Egger's test, t (160) = -0.27, p = 0.79. The between-study variance was moderate but significant, with 39.75% of the total variance attributable to differences between studies. Results of moderation analysis based on subtypes of CA showed that emotional abuse was associated most strongly with depression. In addition, results of moderation analysis focusing on geographic regions and CTQ subscales showed that the association between SA and depression was stronger in Southern than Central China. Our findings demonstrated clearly the advantages of using a multi-level approach to arrive at a more accurate estimate of pooled effect sizes. The differential associations between CTQ subscales and depression and the moderating effect of geographic regions on the association between sexual abuse and depression point clearly to the need of increased attention to the effects of CA subtypes and socio-cultural factors in future research on CA and mental disorders. These findings provide a preliminary empirical basis for researchers to address specific hypotheses of associations between CA subtypes and specific mental disorders in China.

Mediating role of personality traits in the association between multi-dimensional adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms among older adults: A 9-year prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

To explore the mediating role of personality traits in the correlation between multi-dimensional adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depressive symptoms in older adults.

METHODS

This cohort study used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, and included 4050 older adults without depressive symptoms in 2010-2011. Multi-dimensional ACEs were evaluated in 2006-2007. Personality traits were assessed using the Midlife Development Inventory in 2010-2011. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 8-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale during 2012-2019. Cox proportional hazard model was used to explore the associations between ACEs and depressive symptoms. The package named "mediation" in R was used to test mediating role of personality traits.

RESULTS

ACEs in each dimension significantly increased the risk of depressive symptoms (all P-values < 0.05). The association of maltreatment (18.18 %) and household dysfunction (19.69 %) with depressive symptoms was significantly mediated by neuroticism. The correlation between poor parent-child bonding and depressive symptoms was significantly mediated by neuroticism (19.43 %), conscientiousness (4.84 %), and extroversion (8.02 %).

LIMITATIONS

ACEs were retrospectively assessed based on participants' memories, which may induce recall bias.

CONCLUSIONS

Maltreatment and household dysfunction may induce depressive symptoms by increasing neuroticism. Poor parent-child bonding may induce depressive symptoms by increasing neuroticism and reducing conscientiousness and extraversion. In addition to reducing the occurrence of ACEs, reducing neuroticism of individuals with maltreatment and household dysfunction in childhood, and reducing neuroticism, and increasing conscientiousness and extraversion of individuals with poor parent-child bonding in childhood might help to decrease their risk of depressive symptoms.

Individual, Peer, and Family Correlates of Depressive Symptoms among College Students in Hong Kong

In this study, an ecological model and developmental psychopathology theory focusing on an ontogenic system (hopelessness) and microsystems (peer alienation and childhood abuse and trauma) was adopted to examine the individual, peer, and family correlates of depressive symptoms among college Chinese students in Hong Kong, China. A cross-sectional survey research design with a convenience sampling procedure was used to examine a sample of college students (n = 786) aged 18 to 21 years old in Hong Kong. Among them, 352 respondents (44.8%) reported having depressive symptoms, with a Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) score of 14 or above. The results of this study indicated that childhood abuse and trauma, peer alienation, and hopelessness were positively related to depressive symptoms. The underlying arguments and implications were discussed. The study results provided further support for the ecological model and the developmental psychopathology theory on the predictive roles of individual, peer, and family correlates of adolescent depression.

Profiles of depressive symptoms and influential factors among people living with HIV in China

BACKGROUND

Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH). We leveraged Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to identify profiles of depressive symptoms among PLWHs. We also investigated differences in psychological factors of interest, demographic characteristics, and HIV-related factors across patients' profiles.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted at one hospital and two designated prison facilities in Hunan province, China. A total sample of 533 PLWHs (320 recruited from the hospital, 213 recruited from prisons) completed the survey. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Family function, resilience, childhood trauma, demographic characteristics, and HIV-related factors were also evaluated. We conducted LPA and multinomial logistic regression analyses to: 1) identify distinct profiles for depressive symptoms; 2) identify demographic characteristics, and HIV-related, and psychological factors predicting PLWHs' likelihood to express a specific profile.

RESULTS

We identified three distinct profiles of depressive symptoms among PLWHs: severe symptoms (11.8%), moderate symptoms (40.5%), and low/no symptoms (47.7%). Moderate/ severe family dysfunction, low resilience, experiencing emotional abuse and neglect were more likely to fall in the "severe symptoms" rather than the "low/no symptoms" profile. In addition, severe family dysfunction, low resilience, and experiencing emotional neglect indicated a higher likelihood of being classified in the "moderate symptoms" profile, compared to the "low/no symptoms" profile.

CONCLUSION

Identifying profiles of depressive symptoms among PLWHs using the PHQ-9 items allows for understanding of the distinct paths of development of depressive symptoms and for developing tailored prevention and intervention programs for PLWHs.

Effect of childhood maltreatment on cognitive function and its relationship with personality development and social coping style in major depression disorder patients: A latent class model and network analysis

Study objectives

The study aimed to (1) analyze the interrelationships among different types of childhood adversity, diverse personality dimensions, and individual coping style integratively among major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and healthy participants using a network approach; (2) explore the latent class of child maltreatment (CM) and its relationship with cognitive function.

Methods

Data were collected from the Objective Diagnostic Markers and Personalized Intervention in MDD Patients (ODMPIM) study, including 1,629 Chinese participants. Using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire to assess CM, the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire to measure individual coping style, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Short Form for personality characters, and a series of neurocognitive tests, including seven tests with 18 subtests for cognitive assessments. We used the "Network Module" in Jeffreys's Amazing Statistics Program (JASP) and R package for network analysis. A latent class analysis was performed with SAS9.4.

Results

Child maltreatment was more common in MDD patients than in healthy controls, except for emotional abuse. Network analysis showed that emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical abuse, and physical neglect formed quadrangle connections. Personality dimensions were associated with physical neglect and emotional abuse. All types of CM (excluding sex abuse) showed an association with coping style. Emotional neglect showed the highest centrality measures. Physical neglect had a high level of closeness. To a concerning strength, emotional and physical neglect showed the highest levels. The structure of the networks is variant between groups (M = 0.28, P = 0.04). Latent class analysis (LCA) revealed that three classes provided the best fit statistics. Neglect and abuse classes tended to perform more poorly on the five cognitive domains.

Conclusion

This study provided insights on multi-type of CM. Neglect played an important role in different routes through the relation between CM with personality traits and social coping style. However, neglect has often been ignored in previous studies and should receive more public attention.

The relationship between childhood abuse and depression among adolescents: The mediating role of school connectedness and psychological resilience

BACKGROUND

Adolescent depression is a major public health concern worldwide, and depressive symptoms among adolescents in Chinese secondary school increase with grade. Although numerous studies noted that childhood abuse was associated with the development of depression in adolescents, the underlying mediators involved in this pathway remain unclear. Therefore, our study aims to explore whether psychological resilience and school connectedness mediate the association between childhood abuse and depression among Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 1607 adolescents at four high schools located in Henan Province, Central China. Structural equation modeling was performed to determine whether psychological resilience and school connectedness mediate the influence of childhood abuse on depression.

RESULTS

Findings revealed that childhood abuse was directly (β = 0.410, p < 0.001) and indirectly (β = 0.141, p < 0.001) related to depression. Specifically, psychological resilience (β = 0.018, p = 0.009), school connectedness (β = 0.087, p < 0.001), and school connectedness together with psychological resilience (β = 0.036, p < 0.001) partially mediated the relationship between childhood abuse and depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The detrimental impact of childhood abuse on adolescents' depression may be reduced by fostering psychological resilience and school connectedness.

Personality traits as mediators of the relationship between childhood trauma and depression severity in bipolar disorder: A structural equation model

BACKGROUND

Childhood trauma is negatively associated with depression severity in bipolar disorder; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated whether personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness) mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and the severity of bipolar depression.

METHODS

Data from 209 individuals with bipolar disorder recruited for the Prechter Longitudinal Study of Bipolar Disorder were analysed. Using structural equation modelling, we examined the direct and indirect associations between childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and depression severity (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) - with the personality traits (NEO Personality Inventory-Revised) as mediators.

RESULTS

The direct effect of childhood trauma on depression severity (standardised β = 0.32, 95% bootstrap confidence interval [CI] = 0.20-0.45, p < 0.001) and the indirect effect via neuroticism (standardised β = 0.03, 95% bootstrap CI [0.002, 0.07], p = 0.039) were significant; supporting a partial mediation model. The indirect effect accounted for 9% of the total effect of childhood trauma on depression severity (standardised β = 0.09, 95% bootstrap CI [0.002, 0.19], p = 0.046). The final model had a good fit with the data (comparative fit index = 0.96; root mean square error of approximation = 0.05, 90% CI = [0.02, 0.07]).

CONCLUSION

Personality traits may be relevant psychological mediators that link childhood trauma to a more severe clinical presentation of bipolar depression. Consequently, a person's personality structure may be a crucial operative factor to incorporate in therapeutic plans when treating individuals with bipolar disorder who report a history of childhood trauma.

Emotions and sensory processing in adolescents: The effect of childhood traumatic experiences

Reportedly, maltreated children are more likely to have a mental illness, interpersonal violence, and other social behavior problems than those without trauma experience. However, there are few studies regarding childhood trauma and sensory processing relationship and the relationship is not clear until today. To verify the association between childhood trauma emotions and sensory processing in adolescents is the aim of this study. To gather traumatized adolescents, we conducted survey questionnaires from six alternative schools and one general high school in South Korea. A total of 260 students has answered the questions: trauma/parenting/school adaptation factors, childhood trauma, the difficulty of emotion regulation, positive and negative emotional measure, shortened self-control measure, and adolescent/adult sensory profile. We analyzed linear regression between childhood trauma and other emotions/sensory processing in total subjects and conducted group comparisons between general school and alternative school. With childhood trauma, negative emotion, emotion dysregulation, sensory profile including subscales showed positive correlations. A significant negative correlation was observed between the self-control scale and childhood trauma score. In group comparison results, trauma factors, primary caregiver, custody transfer, and school life adaptation factors were significantly higher in alternative school students (p < 0.002) while the parental relationship did not show a difference. Childhood trauma score, vision, and tactile were significantly higher in alternative school students. To summarize, our results present a direct effect of childhood trauma on sensory function in adolescents and was confirmed the importance of family environments in adolescents.

The effects of childhood trauma on personality in unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with major depressive disorder

ABSTRAC

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to preliminarily and exploratorily examine the associations between childhood trauma (CT), its subtypes, and personality traits among unaffected first-degree relatives (FDR, children, or siblings) of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS

The study sample included three subgroups: MDD patients (N = 85), Patients' FDRs (N = 35), and healthy control individuals (HC, N = 89). The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to assess childhood trauma and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was used to assess personality traits.

RESULTS

Significant differences were found in a few personality traits (p < 0.05 for extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism) among MDD patients, FDR, and HC, and there were no significant differences between HC and FDR. In the FDR group, compared with those without CT, participants with CT scored significantly higher for neuroticism (N) (F = 3.246, p = 0.046). CT was significantly associated with N, psychoticism (P) and Lie (L), and the strongest association was between CT total score and N. Significantly positive correlations were found between N and sexual abuse (SA) (r = 0.344, p = 0.043), emotional neglect (EN) (r = 0.394, p = 0.019), physical neglect (PN) (r = 0.393, p = 0.019), and CTQ total score (r = 0.452, p = 0.006); between P and CTQ total score (r = 0.336, p = 0.049); and significant negative correlations were found between L and EN (r = -0.446, p = 0.007), CTQ total score (r = -0.375, p = 0.027).

CONCLUSION

In unaffected FDRs, there were significant associations between childhood trauma and a few personality traits, including neuroticism, psychoticism, and lie, and emotional neglect was significantly associated with neuroticism.

Relationship between childhood trauma, personality, social support and depression in women attending general medical clinics in a low and middle-income country

BACKGROUND

Associations between childhood trauma, personality, and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) have been well established in studies conducted in high-income countries. However, there are limited studies on these associations in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where MDD is highly prevalent. We assessed the relationships between childhood trauma, personality, and MDD in women in Karachi, Pakistan.

METHOD

In this cross-sectional study of 455 female patients attending general medical outpatient clinics, a diagnosis of MDD was confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID); retrospective reports of childhood trauma were collected using the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ); and Big Five personality traits were assessed using the NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO PI-R). Other measures included the Life Events Questionnaire (LEQ) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Factors independently associated with MDD were determined using logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Of the 455 women recruited between August 1, 2011 and July 31, 2013, 242 (53%) had a diagnosis of MDD. Women with MDD were significantly more likely to be separated, had more stressful life events and higher CTQ scores. Higher perceived social support, conscientiousness and extraversion were independently associated with significantly reduced odds of MDD. There were no significant associations between CTQ scores and any of the NEO PI-R subscales.

LIMITATIONS

Ratings of childhood trauma were based on retrospective recall.

CONCLUSION

MDD and a history of childhood trauma were highly prevalent in Pakistani women attending general medical clinics. Interventions to prevent childhood trauma and promote social support in women may improve public mental health in LMICs like Pakistan.

Childhood Trauma and Psychological Distress: A Serial Mediation Model among Chinese Adolescents

The consequence of childhood trauma may last for a long time. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of childhood trauma on general distress among Chinese adolescents and explore the potential mediating roles of social support and family functioning in the childhood trauma-general distress linkage. A total of 2139 valid questionnaires were collected from two high schools in southeast China. Participants were asked to complete the questionnaires measuring childhood trauma, social support, family functioning, and general distress. Pathway analysis was conducted by using SPSS AMOS 24.0 and PROCESS Macro for SPSS 3.5. Results showed that childhood trauma was positively associated with general distress among Chinese adolescents. Social support and family functioning independently and serially mediated the linkage of childhood trauma and general distress. These findings confirmed and complemented the ecological system theory of human development and the multisystem developmental framework for resilience. Furthermore, these findings indicated that the mental and emotional problems of adolescents who had childhood trauma were not merely issues of adolescents themselves, but concerns of the whole system and environment.

Trait anger expression mediates childhood trauma predicting for adulthood anxiety, depressive, and alcohol use disorders

BACKGROUND

General aggression and evolutionary models posit that more severe early exposure experiences to trauma (physical, emotional, sexual abuse and/or neglect) place one at risk for adulthood psychopathology through heightened trait anger expression-internal (Anger-In) and external (Anger-Out). However, there are a dearth of empirical studies explaining the longitudinal childhood maltreatment-adulthood psychopathology relation.

OBJECTIVE

Therefore, this study investigated if childhood maltreatment exposure severity predicted elevated adulthood major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Moreover, we tested if trait anger expression - internal and external - mediated the childhood maltreatment-adulthood MDD, GAD, PD, and AUD symptom associations.

METHOD

Participants took part in two waves of measurement spaced approximately 9 years apart. Time 1 childhood trauma severity (retrospectively-reported Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), Time 2 Anger-In and Anger-Out (State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory), and Time 3 adulthood MDD, GAD, PD (Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form), and AUD (Alcohol Screening Test) diagnoses were measured.

RESULTS

Anger-Out and Anger-In partially mediated the relations between childhood trauma severity and adulthood psychopathology diagnoses after adjusting for Time 2 symptoms. Higher Time 1 childhood trauma severity was related to greater Time 2 Anger-Out and Anger-In, and increased Time 2 Anger-Out and Anger-In were thereby related to elevated Time 3 adulthood MDD, PD and AUD, but not GAD severity. Trait anger accounted for 14 to 50% of the variance of childhood trauma-adulthood MDD, PD and AUD relations.

DISCUSSION

Theoretical and clinical implications, such as the need for trauma-informed care, are discussed.

Effects of polygenic risk score, childhood trauma and resilience on depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents in a three-year cohort study

BACKGROUND

Polygenic risk score (PRS) is a method of revealing multiple genes effect. The study of PRS and childhood trauma (CT) and resilience on adolescent depressive symptoms are fewer reported, especially the functional mechanism of resilience among them.

METHODS

718 Chinese adolescents aged 10-14 years were surveyed including CT, resilience, depressive symptoms, and phenotype data in three years of the cohort study. PRS was calculated by the weighted accumulation effects of alleles on depressive symptoms. Their relationships were analyzed by the mediation and moderation models.

RESULTS

PRS and CT were risk factors for depressive symptoms. Interaction (PRS × CT) on depressive symptoms had no statistical significance. Resilience acted as the protective mediator from CT (emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect) to depressive symptoms and moderator from CT (emotional abuse) to depressive symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

The sample size was a little small so that the inference were drawn prudently. Except gene data, other were collected by self-reported questionnaire instruments which inevitably brought recall bias.

CONCLUSIONS

PRS and CT could have adverse impact on depressive symptoms, resilience could alleviate these risk effects as a moderator and a mediator. The findings have important implications for prevention and intervention in adolescent depressive symptoms.

Childhood Trauma increases suicidal behaviour in a treatment-resistant depression population: a FACE-DR report

OBJECTIVE

In addition to heredity, exposure to early-life adversity is an important predisposing risk factor of suicidal behaviour. Although the association between Childhood Trauma (CT) and suicide risk is well documented, interactions between CT and suicidal behaviour in Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) populations have received little coverage. This study aimed to evaluate i) association between CT and suicidal behaviour in a TRD population, and ii) the role of personality traits and impulsiveness as potential factors of mediation in these associations.

METHODS

Patients were recruited from a cohort of the French network of TRD expert centers. Depressive symptom severity, CT, suicidal behaviour, personality traits, and impulsiveness were assessed with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS), the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Big Five Inventory, and the Barratt Impulsivness Scale (BIS) respectively.

RESULTS

Among the 256 patients with a baseline CTQ, in relation to suicide risk for the current depressive episode, we found an association with the total CTQ scores mediated by the intensity of the current episode in a model adjusted for age and sex (total effect: β = 0.171; p = 0.011, direct effect: β = 0.135; p = 0.043; indirect effect: β = 0.036; p = 0.048). Focusing on CT subtypes, we detected an association between suicide risk and physical neglect in a model adjusted for age and sex (β = 0.301; p = 0.002), without any mediation by the intensity of the current episode. There was no mediation effect from personality traits nor impulsiveness. With regards to CSSRS to assess suicidal ideation, we did not find any association with the total CTQ score and CT subtype scores.

CONCLUSION

We report a strong association between suicidal behaviour and CT (in particular childhood physical neglect) in a TRD population.

Association between childhood trauma and depression: A moderated mediation analysis among normative Chinese college students

BACKGROUND

Childhood trauma is a critical risk factor for depression. Many studies have investigated the pathway between childhood trauma and depression, especially the mediating or moderating effects of neuroticism or resilience, but the results were inconsistent and there was no full model of these interactive factors. In addition, high prevalence of depression existed in normative college students, and few studies focused on their pathway between childhood trauma and depressive scores. Therefore, this study intended to examine the relationships among childhood trauma, resilience, neuroticism and depressive scores in normative college students.

METHODS

Normative college students (n = 404) aged 18-22 years were recruited as participants from universities in Guangzhou in 2019. The participants were asked to complete four self-report questionnaires, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II).

RESULTS

Results revealed that the effect of childhood trauma on depressive scores in normative college students was mediated by neuroticism. In addition, resilience moderated the association between childhood trauma and neuroticism.

CONCLUSIONS

This study helps to elucidate the mechanism that underlined the pathway between childhood trauma and depressive scores in normative college students. These findings may give indications of developing measures to strengthen resilience and lower neuroticism in normative college students with childhood traumatic experiences.

Personality traits and depressive symptoms: The moderating and mediating effects of resilience in Chinese adolescents

BACKGROUND

Various studies showed that personality traits and resilience might have impacts on depressive symptoms, separately. However, the relationships among personality traits, resilience and depressive symptoms are still undefined. Thus, this study tried to explore the potential effect of resilience on the associations between personality traits and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents.

METHODS

Adolescents (n = 6019) aged 10-17 years were recruited from nine schools in Wuhan, China. Depressive symptoms, personality traits, and resilience were evaluated by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D), the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), respectively.

RESULTS

Neuroticism was positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Resilience separately moderated the associations of neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness with depressive symptoms, and partly mediated the associations of all five personality traits with depressive symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

This study is a cross sectional study and cannot ascertain the causal relationships between the variables. Also self-reported questionnaire instruments were used in the data collection.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggested that resilience might play moderating and mediating roles in the associations of personality traits with depressive symptoms, and prompted that it was critical to improve resilience and develop adaptive personality traits in the prevention and intervention of depression in adolescents.

Depressive Symptoms Among Children and Adolescents in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Depressive symptoms are a pervasive mental health problem in Chinese adolescents. The aim of this article was to systematically assess the trend of depressive symptoms in China among adolescents (1988 to 2018).

Material/Methods

A systematic and comprehensive literature search was conducted in both English and Chinese databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, CNKI, and Wan Fang Database, to identify relevant studies published between 1988 and 2018. Batteries of analyses in this meta-analysis were undertaken using Stata version 12.0 statistical software.

Results

Sixty-two related reports involving 232 586 participants finally met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results suggest the prevalence of depressive symptoms has generally increased over time. The prevalence estimates before 2000 were 18.4% (95% CI, 14.5–22.3%), and were 26.3% (95% CI, 21.9–30.8%) after 2016. The pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms among children and adolescents was 22.2% (95% CI: 19.9–24.6%, I²=99.6%, p<0.001). More subgroup analyses classified by screening instrument, gender, and region were carried out in this meta-analysis.

Conclusions

Results of our meta-analysis suggest that depressive symptoms have become more prevalent among Chinese adolescents. This trend emphasizes the need for effective prevention strategies and greater availability of screening tools for this vulnerable population.

Do university students' personality traits affect their attitudes towards gender roles?

PURPOSE

Attitudes of individuals towards gender roles may be affected by their experiences such as personality traits. This study is to identify the relationship between university students' personality traits and their attitudes towards gender roles.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This cross-sectional was conducted with 301 university students between November 2018 and January 2019.

FINDINGS

The students who had introverted personality traits had traditional attitudes according to the egalitarian gender role subscale (P < 0.05). Students who had neurotic personality trait had more traditional attitudes according to the female, marriage, traditional, and male gender role subscales (P < 0.05).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

It may be advisable to enable students with an introverted and neurotic personality to develop an egalitarian attitude towards gender roles through women health nursing and psychiatric nursing studies.