The relationship of childhood family characteristics and current attachment styles to depression and depressive vulnerability

The well-being of young adults: The implications of multi-type child maltreatment and the mediating role of betrayal trauma

BACKGROUND

Research indicates that the nature of the relationship between a victim-survivor and perpetrator of child maltreatment can influence well-being experienced during young adulthood. However, further research is required to substantiate the possible mediating role of betrayal trauma following child maltreatment.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between child maltreatment and psychological well-being experienced during young adulthood by examining the extent of maltreatment, the importance of the type of perpetrator, and the potential mediating role of betrayal trauma following child maltreatment.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The self-selected sample comprised 468 young adults (aged 18-25 years; M = 21.74 years, SD = 2.47) from Australia and internationally.

METHOD

Information regarding participants' current well-being, the extent of enduring five types of maltreatment (witnessing family violence, neglect, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse) by their mother, father and other adults during childhood, multi-type maltreatment, and severity of betrayal trauma were obtained via an online survey.

RESULTS

Using multiple regression analysis, it was found that higher levels of multi-type maltreatment were associated with poorer current well-being. Maltreatment by one's mother or father predicted poorer well-being, maltreatment by another adult did not. Hierarchical regressions revealed young adults' sense of betrayal trauma in close relationships partially mediated the relationship between current well-being and child maltreatment by one's mother, father, and another adult.

CONCLUSION

Findings show that the extent of child maltreatment experienced, one's sense of betrayal, and the relationship of the child/adolescent to the perpetrator can influence well-being experienced during young adulthood. These findings highlight the therapeutic benefit of clinicians supporting young adults who have endured child maltreatment to process betrayal trauma, to improve their well-being.

Child maltreatment and post-traumatic growth: Implications for the well-being of young adults

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the relationship between childhood maltreatment and well-being in young adults, including the role of post-traumatic growth (PTG) in promoting better outcomes for young adults who have a history of childhood maltreatment (HCM).

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between child maltreatment and well-being among young adults, by considering the perpetrator and the extent of the maltreatment, as well as PTG among young adults with a HCM.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The sample comprised 537 young adults (aged 18-25; M = 21.09 years, SD = 2.36) from across Australia, with 182 young adults in the sample forming the cohort with a HCM.

METHOD

Participants' current well-being, the extent of maltreatment by their mother, father and other adults experienced as a child (<18 years), and PTG was collected using an online survey. Tests of group differences and multiple regression were conducted to analyse the relationships between child maltreatment, PTG, and current well-being.

RESULTS

Maltreatment by one's mother or father predicted poorer current well-being, but not maltreatment by another adult. Young adults who identified as having a HCM had poorer well-being than those who did not. Within the cohort of those with a HCM, greater PTG predicted greater well-being, and also mitigated the negative relationship between child maltreatment by one's father and well-being.

CONCLUSION

Findings indicate that both the extent of child maltreatment and the relationship to the perpetrator have implications for well-being among young adults. PTG appeared to play a protective role, highlighting the potential therapeutic benefit of fostering PTG to improve well-being among young adults with a HCM.

Long-term influences of parental divorce on offspring affective disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of divorce in Western countries has increased in recent decades. However, there is no recent systematic review and/or meta-analysis of studies testing for long-term effects of parental divorce on offspring affective disorders. The present study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published since 1980 testing for the association between parental divorce and offspring depression and anxiety in adulthood.

METHOD

PUBMED, Science Direct, Medline, PsychInfo, and PsychArticles databases were searched for eligible studies. Random-effect meta-analyses were used to synthesize effect sizes and to test whether associations of parental divorce with offspring affective disorders differed among three publication periods (i.e., before 1996, 1996-2005, 2006-2015).

RESULTS

In total, 29 studies were eligible for the systematic review, and 18 studies were included in the meta-analyses (depression: n=21,581; anxiety: n=2472). There was significant association between parental divorce and offspring depression (OR=1.56; 95%CI [1.31, 1.86]), but not anxiety (OR=1.16; 95%CI [0.98, 1.38]). The effect of parental divorce on offspring depression was not weaker in the reports published in more recent decades.

LIMITATIONS

There is limited research in relation to offspring anxiety in adulthood.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental divorce is associated with an increased risk of adult offspring depression, with no indication of the effect being weaker in recent publications.

The lived experience of depression among culturally Deaf adults

Culturally Deaf adults lost hearing at early ages, communicate primarily in American Sign Language (ASL), and self-identify as culturally Deaf. Communication barriers lead to isolation, low self-esteem, abuse, and inadequate health care. Screening Deaf patients for depressive symptoms poses challenge. Nurses are rarely familiar with ASL, and depression screening tools aren't easily translated from English to ASL. Consequently, Deaf adults are not adequately screened for depression. Qualitative interviews were conducted with culturally Deaf adults, and certified interpreters helped to enhance understanding. Text was generated from interview transcriptions and researcher observations. No novel depressive symptoms were described. Various ASL signs were used to represent depression; two participants used a unique gesture that had no meaning to others. Childhood experiences leading to depression included sexual or physical abuse, feeling ostracized from family and like a burden. Suicidal gestures communicated severity of depression. Adults felt interpreters were unwelcome during mental health encounters. No participants were asked about depressive symptoms despite frank manifestations of depression. Study describes antecedents and consequences of depressive symptoms among Deaf adults. Understanding symptom manifestations and challenges experienced by Deaf patients helps identify those at risk for depression, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality.

Erinnertes elterliches Erziehungsverhalten und aktuelle Bindungsorganisation im Erwachsenenalter

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Personen mit Angststörungen schätzen den Erziehungsstil ihrer Eltern während der Kindheit oft als emotional kalt und kontrollierend ein. Zusammenhänge zwischen Angststörungen und aktueller Erwachsenenbindung wurden bislag jedoch kaum untersucht. Fragestellung: Inwiefern unterscheiden sich Erwachsene mit und ohne Angststörung im elterlichen Erziehungsverhalten und in ihrer aktuellen Bindungsorganisation voneinander? Methode: 26 Personen mit einer Angststörung und 24 Kontrollpersonen (Altersspanne 20 bis 56 Jahre) wurden mit dem Erwachsenenbindungs-Prototypenrating (EBPR) und dem Fragebogen zum erinnerten elterlichen Erziehungsverhalten (FEE) abgeklärt. Ergebnisse: Personen mit Angststörungen schätzten ihre Mutter und ihren Vater als emotional kälter ein und wiesen weniger Sicherheit in der aktuellen Erwachsenen-Bindungsorganisation auf als Kontrollpersonen. Schlussfolgerungen: Die emotionale Wärme der Eltern während der Kindheit stellt möglicherweise ein protektiver Faktor dar, der vor der Entwicklung von Bindungsunsicherheit und Angststörungen schützt.