Emotional maltreatment, peer victimization, and depressive versus anxiety symptoms during adolescence: hopelessness as a mediator

Interpersonal Mechanisms Between Child Maltreatment Timing and Young Adult Internalizing and Externalizing Symptomatology

OBJECTIVE

Children who experience maltreatment are prone to exhibit interpersonal deficits and lack secure attachment, which can lead to internalizing and externalizing symptomatology. This study investigated timing and chronicity of maltreatment and its impacts on psychopathology outcomes in young adulthood. Two interpersonal mediators were examined: problems with peers and childhood attachment security.

METHOD

Children with and without maltreatment exposure were recruited to take part in a 1-week research summer camp (N = 697; mean [SD] age = 11.29 [0.97] years; 71.3% Black or African American; 50.5% male). Participants were recontacted in young adulthood to complete a second wave of assessments (n = 427; mean [SD] age = 19.67 [1.16] years; 78.0% Black or African American; 48.9% male). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate indirect effects from child maltreatment timing to young adult internalizing and externalizing symptomatology via childhood attachment security and peer problems.

RESULTS

Findings highlighted the detrimental impact of chronic maltreatment, which was associated with higher levels of peer problems (β = .24, p < .001) and less secure attachment (β = -.13, p < .01) in childhood. Also, lower attachment quality in childhood mediated the association between chronic maltreatment and self-reported internalizing (a × b = 0.02, p < .05) and externalizing symptomatology (a × b = 0.02, p < .05). Additionally, childhood peer problems mediated the association between chronic maltreatment and caregiver-reported internalizing problems (a × b = 0.04, p < .05).

CONCLUSION

Chronic maltreatment is particularly harmful for interpersonal outcomes of children. Mediation findings differed by who reported on psychopathology, showing the importance of considering multireporter measures of psychopathology.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

Child maltreatment is an interpersonal stressor that may impact developmental outcomes throughout a youth's life. In this study of 697 children who participated in a 1-week research summer camp and were contacted in young adulthood, the authors found that chronic maltreatment significantly increased the risk of difficulties in forming secure attachments as well as having problems with peers during childhood. In turn, these challenges were linked to emotional and behavioral symptomology in young adulthood. These findings emphasize the need to support children facing chronic maltreatment to improve their long-term mental health.

The contribution of chronic peer victimization in elementary school to depressive symptoms in adolescence

Throughout his career, John Schulenberg challenged us to understand adolescent development as the confluence of distal and proximal experiences along with critical transitions. Heeding this call, we examined whether chronic childhood peer victimization predicted adolescents' depressive symptoms via early-emerging depression growth trajectories, continued victimization into adolescence, and stress-amplification at the middle school transition. Self-reported depressive symptoms and teacher-reported and self-reported peer victimization were obtained from 636 youth (338 girls; Mage = 7.96 years, 66.7% White, 21.7% Black, 11.6% other) in the 2nd-9th grades. Latent growth curve analyses revealed that, by 7th grade, chronic childhood peer victimization was associated with depressive symptoms only through an indirect association with peer victimization in adolescence, underscoring how interrelated historical and ongoing interpersonal stressors contribute to adolescent psychopathology.

Childhood emotional maltreatment and internalizing problems in a non-clinical sample of adolescents: a moderated-mediation model of insecure anxious attachment style and gender

Childhood emotional maltreatment (abuse and neglect) may contribute to the development of internalizing problems in adolescence. However, the mechanisms explaining this association should be examined further. This study explored the mediating role of insecure anxious attachment style in the relationship between emotional maltreatment and internalizing symptoms in a non-clinical sample of adolescents. Analyses were also conducted to determine whether gender moderated the direct and indirect pathways between emotional maltreatment and internalizing problems. We recruited 449 adolescents aged between 14 and 18 years old [(Mage)=16.46, standard deviation (SD)=1.38]. 60.8% of adolescents were female (Mage=16.51, SD=1.43), whereas 39.2% identified as male (Mage=16.39, SD=1.28). Participants completed a survey including socio-demographic information and three selfreport questionnaires: the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, the Attachment Style Questionnaire, and the Youth Self- Report for ages 11-18. Results showed that emotional abuse and neglect were related to internalizing problems both directly and indirectly through anxious attachment style. Girls who experienced higher levels of emotional abuse and who had an anxious attachment style reported more internalizing problems than boys, whereas higher levels of emotional neglect were associated with increasing levels of internalizing problems only for boys. This study expanded our knowledge of the role of anxious attachment in the onset of internalizing problems among adolescents with experiences of childhood emotional maltreatment.

The Association Between Child Maltreatment and Loneliness Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Multilevel Meta-Analysis

While there is evidence that child maltreatment is positively associated with loneliness, the strength of this association is not yet clear. It is also unclear whether the magnitude and statistical significance of this association varies across groups of individuals. Therefore, this meta-analysis examines whether there are differences in loneliness between individuals with and without maltreatment histories, and which factors may influence the association between child maltreatment and loneliness. A three-level meta-analysis was conducted on 52 studies reporting 116 effect sizes (N = 1,705,493; Mage = 30.93; 49.6% females). Results showed a medium overall effect (g = 0.45, p < .001, 95% CI [0.36, 0.53]), indicating that individuals with maltreatment histories, on average, feel lonelier than individuals without maltreatment histories. Moderator analyses showed that effect sizes were larger for emotional abuse and emotional neglect as compared to other types of child maltreatment and decreased when participants were older at the time of loneliness assessment. These findings suggest that individuals with maltreatment histories, especially those who have been emotionally abused and/or emotionally neglected, are vulnerable to experiencing loneliness across the lifespan. The results also suggest that feelings of loneliness warrant attention in prevention and intervention programs for individuals with maltreatment histories.

Do dimensions of childhood adversity differ in their direct associations with youth psychopathology? A meta-analysis

Growing evidence supports the unique pathways by which threat and deprivation, two core dimensions of adversity, confer risk for youth psychopathology. However, the extent to which these dimensions differ in their direct associations with youth psychopathology remains unclear. The primary aim of this preregistered meta-analysis was to synthesize the associations between threat, deprivation, internalizing, externalizing, and trauma-specific psychopathology. Because threat is proposed to be directly linked with socioemotional development, we hypothesized that the magnitude of associations between threat and psychopathology would be larger than those with deprivation. We conducted a search for peer-reviewed articles in English using PubMed and PsycINFO databases through August 2022. Studies that assessed both threat and deprivation and used previously validated measures of youth psychopathology were included. One hundred and twenty-seven articles were included in the synthesis (N = 163,767). Results of our three-level meta-analyses indicated that adversity dimension significantly moderated the associations between adversity and psychopathology, such that the magnitude of effects for threat (r's = .21-26) were consistently larger than those for deprivation (r's = .16-.19). These differences were more pronounced when accounting for the threat-deprivation correlation. Additional significant moderators included emotional abuse and youth self-report of adversity. Findings are consistent with the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology, with clinical, research, and policy implications.

Association of Childhood Emotional Maltreatment with Adolescents' Psychopathology: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Childhood Emotional Maltreatment (CEM) is a significant but under-studied risk factor for impaired mental health, with adolescents being particularly susceptible. This systematic review and meta-analysis, prospectively registered in PROSPERO as CRD42022383005, aims to synthesize the findings of studies investigating the association between CEM and adolescent psychopathology, making it the first attempt to the best of our knowledge. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive search (PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Science Direct, Embase, and ProQuest) yielded 12,224 studies, from which 72 were included in the qualitative synthesis. The meta-analysis was conducted on 76 effect sizes (ranging from 0.01 to 0.57) extracted from 56 studies. The assessment of publication bias utilized funnel plots, Egger's regression test, and the trim and fill method, if required. Additionally, a predictor analysis investigated the influence of study-level variables on the CEM-psychopathology association. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between CEM and adolescent psychopathology (Pooled association: 0.24-0.41) Furthermore, assessment of publication bias indicated no significant bias. The predictor analysis suggested minimal influence of study-level variables. The study underscores the urgent need to address CEM as a crucial risk factor for adolescent psychopathology. The significant positive correlation between CEM and psychopathological outcomes highlights the detrimental effects of CEM on adolescents. Awareness, prevention efforts, and targeted interventions are essential to mitigate these effects. Further studies with culturally diverse and larger sample sizes are required, with emphasis on methodological rigor, given that most of the identified studies showed a high risk of bias.

Bullying victimization and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents: the roles of belief in a just world and classroom-level victimization

Studies have demonstrated that bullying victimization is a risk factor for depressive symptoms; however, little is known about the underlying processes that may mediate or moderate this relationship. To address this research gap, this study examined the mediating effects of personal and general belief in a just world (BJW) and the moderating effect of classroom-level victimization on the relationship between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms. Using a short-term longitudinal design, two-wave data were obtained from 2,551 Chinese adolescents (initial age = 12.99 ± 0.61, 52.2% boys) from 47 classes over 6 months. The results indicated that Time 1 personal BJW mediated the relationship between Time 1 bullying victimization and Time 2 depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the mediating effect of Time 1 personal BJW was moderated by Time 1 classroom-level victimization; this effect was stronger for adolescents in classrooms with low levels of victimization. These findings contribute to our understanding of how and when bullying victimization impacts youth depressive symptoms. Education practitioners should pay special attention to personal BJW in victimized adolescents, especially when classroom-level victimization is low.

Reward and Immune Systems in Emotion (RISE) prospective longitudinal study: Protocol overview of an integrative reward-inflammation model of first onset of major depression in adolescence

Background

Depression is associated with a reduced sensitivity to rewards and low reward-related brain function in cortico-striatal circuitry. A separate literature documents elevated peripheral inflammation in depression. Recently, integrated reward-inflammation models of depression have been proposed. These models draw on work indicating that peripheral inflammatory proteins access the brain, where they lower reward responsiveness. This blunted reward responsiveness is proposed to initiate unhealthy behaviors (substance use, poor diet), as well as sleep disruption and stress generation, which further heighten inflammation. Over time, dysregulation in reward responsiveness and immune signaling may synergize in a positive feedback loop, whereby dysregulation in each system exacerbates dysregulation in the other. Project RISE (Reward and Immune Systems in Emotion) provides a first systematic test of reward-immune dysregulation as a synergistic and dynamic vulnerability for first onset of major depressive disorder and increases in depressive symptoms during adolescence.

Methods

This NIMH-funded R01 study is a 3-year prospective, longitudinal investigation of approximately 300 community adolescents from the broader Philadelphia area, United States of America. Eligible participants must be 13-16 years old, fluent in English, and without a prior major depressive disorder. They are being selected along the entire dimension of self-reported reward responsiveness, with oversampling at the low tail of the dimension in order to increase the likelihood of major depression onsets. At Time 1 (T1), T3, and T5, each a year apart, participants complete blood draws to quantify biomarkers of low-grade inflammation, self-report and behavioral measures of reward responsiveness, and fMRI scans of reward neural activity and functional connectivity. At T1-T5 (with T2 and T4 six months between the yearly sessions), participants also complete diagnostic interviews and measures of depressive symptoms, reward-relevant life events, and behaviors that increase inflammation. Adversity history is assessed at T1 only.

Discussion

This study is an innovative integration of research on multi-organ systems involved in reward and inflammatory signaling in understanding first onset of major depression in adolescence. It has the potential to facilitate novel neuroimmune and behavioral interventions to treat, and ideally prevent, depression.

The Effect of Emotional Neglect on Cyberbullying among Rural Chinese Left-behind Adolescents-Mediating Role of Social Anxiety

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying is a globally shared youth problem-a problem of the interpersonal conflicts and contradictions that emerge during the socialization of adolescents. In particular, the issue of cyberbullying among rural left-behind adolescents needs to be given high priority. However, previous studies have paid little attention to how emotional neglect and social anxiety affect the cyberbullying behavior of rural left-behind adolescents. Therefore, this study was based on cognitive-behavioral theory to investigate the relationship between emotional neglect, cyberbullying, and social anxiety.

METHODS

This study used the Emotional Neglect Scale, the Cyberbullying Scale, and the Social Anxiety Scale to conduct an anonymous online survey of 1429 rural left-behind adolescents in China.

RESULTS

(1) Emotional neglect, social anxiety, and cyberbullying showed a two-way positive correlation. (2) The direct effect of emotional neglect on rural left-behind youth cyberbullying was significant (β = 0.14, p < 0.00). (3) Social anxiety showed a partial mediating effect in the process of emotional neglect affecting rural left-behind youth cyberbullying, with a mediating effect of 26.32%.

CONCLUSIONS

The results have positive implications for improving relevant policies and constructing mechanisms for protecting the rights and interests of rural left-behind adolescents.

Child Maltreatment, Peer Victimization, and Mental Health: Neurocognitive Perspectives on the Cycle of Victimization

Children who experience maltreatment are at increased risk of revictimization across the life span. In childhood, this risk often manifests as peer victimization. Understanding the nature of this risk, and its impact on mental health, is critical if we are to provide effective support for those children who are most vulnerable. A systematic scoping review was conducted using Google Scholar and PsycINFO. Studies on adults, psychiatric, and/or inpatient populations were excluded. Included studies concerned all forms of child maltreatment and peer victimization. We found 28 studies about the association between maltreatment experience and peer victimization as well as peer rejection. We review the evidence documenting the relation between these adverse childhood experiences and mental health. The evidence suggests that maltreatment and peer victimization have additive effects on mental health outcomes. A number of theoretical developmental frameworks that delineate putative mechanisms that might account for an association are considered. Building on prior research, we then discuss the role of recent neurocognitive findings in providing a multilevel framework for conceptualizing mental health vulnerability following maltreatment. In addition, we consider how altered neurocognitive functioning following maltreatment may shed light on why affected children are more likely to be victimized by their peers. Specifically, we consider the threat, reward, and autobiographical memory systems and their role in relation to stress generation, stress susceptibility, and social thinning. Such a mechanistic understanding is necessary if we are to reduce the likelihood of peer victimization in children exposed to maltreatment, and move to a preventative model of mental health care.

Social Adjustment of Problem-Talk Partners Moderates Associations Between Self-Perceived Victimization and Depressive Symptoms

This paper examines the moderating role of problem-talk partnerships with peers who are rejected, victimized, or unpopular on links between self-perceived victimization by peers and depressive symptoms. Problem-talk partnerships are friendships that involve frequent discussion of problems and personal struggles. 267 adolescents (152 girls; mean age of 14.4 years) participated in a short-term prospective study with identical measures administered in two annual waves. The adolescents completed a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing peer victimization and depression. They also completed a peer nomination inventory and identified friends with whom they frequently discuss problems. High levels of peer nominated victimization, social rejection, and unpopularity among problem-talk partners were linked to elevated associations between self-reported victimization and depressive symptoms. The effects for unpopularity levels among problem-talk partners were moderated by gender. Compared to boys, girls' adjustment was more strongly influenced by unpopularity among problem-talk partners. Conversely, friendships with peers who were not problem-talk partners did not have a consistent moderating role. The full pattern of findings highlights the need to consider the social adjustment of dyadic partners when examining the psychosocial impact of perceived victimization.

Elements of Control Differentiate Associations Between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Anxiety Symptoms

Among adolescents experiencing childhood maltreatment, there exists wide variability regarding the development and maintenance of anxious symptoms. Existing research has identified the protective role of effortful control against childhood anxiety (Raines et al. in Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 2021). The current study aimed to uncover how distinct elements of effortful control differentially diminish or intensify anxiety symptoms arising from a perceived lack of control following childhood emotional abuse (CEA). 467 college student participants provided reports of their experience with childhood emotional abuse, locus of control, anxiety symptoms, and effortful control via in-person surveys. We explored three categories of effortful control: inhibitory control (the capacity to suppress inappropriate behavior), attentional control (the capacity to focus or shift attention), and activational control (the capacity to perform an action despite a strong tendency to avoid). Consistent with our hypotheses, results revealed that CEA predicted increased anxiety symptoms. External LOC significantly mediated the relationship between CEA and anxiety. When effortful control was broken down into its component elements, higher inhibitory control acted as a protective factor for locus of control driven anxiety, whereas higher levels of activational control acted as a risk factor. Attentional control was not a significant moderator. These findings stress the importance of identifying risk and protective factors that contribute to resilience, and may aid in the development of interventions targeted to specific aspects of effortful control.

Prevalence and impact of peer victimisation among youth seeking treatment at a tertiary psychiatric institution in Singapore: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Peer victimization is common among adolescents and leads to negative consequences. However, few studies have examined the extent of peer-victimization and its correlates among adolescent patients in a psychiatric setting. The current study aimed to examine the prevalence and correlates of peer victimisation among youth with mental illness and to examine its association with depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

METHODS

A sample of 239 youths aged 15-24 years were recruited from the outpatient clinics of a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Singapore using convenience sampling. All participants were administered the Multidimensional Peer Victimisation Scale (MPVS), Short Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8). The effect of MPVS  total and subscores on depression scores, quality of life subscores and quality of life total scores were examined using multiple linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

The majority of the patients reported that they had experienced at least one form of peer victimisation (95.8%, n = 229) during their school years. Higher levels of 'verbal victimisation', 'attacks on property' and higher total MPVS scores were significantly associated with lower social functioning; additionally, higher levels of 'verbal victimisation' were significantly associated with lower mental component summary scores in the quality of life assessment. Higher scores on all four subscales as well as higher total scores on the MPVS were significantly associated with more severe depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the high prevalence of peer victimisation in our sample and its associations with more severe depressive symptoms and lower quality of life, it is vital to implement interventions that prevent peer victimisation in educational and other social settings and to provide youth with strategies to more effectively manage instances of peer victimisation.

How do physical and emotional abuse affect depression and problematic behaviors in adolescents? The roles of emotional regulation and anger

BACKGROUND

Rates of physical and emotional abuse are high among Chinese adolescents and elicit distinct psychopathologies. However, it remains unclear whether physical and emotional abuse relate to depression and behavior problems similarly or differently. In addition, few studies have examined if they share underlying mechanisms in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

This study used longitudinal data to examine the mechanisms underlying the effect of physical and emotional abuse on depression and problematic behaviors through emotional regulation and anger in Chinese adolescents.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS

Participants were 1689 adolescents (with age ranging from 12 to 17 years) from junior and senior high schools in Zhejiang Province, China.

METHODS

Participants completed a childhood trauma questionnaire and an emotion regulation strategies questionnaire at time 1 (T1), and they completed an anger scale, a depression scale, and a problematic behaviors questionnaire one year later (T2). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the research hypotheses.

RESULTS

Physical abuse had direct positive effects on problematic behaviors but not on depression. However, emotional abuse had direct effects on depression and problematic behaviors, and indirect effects on both psychopathologies through expressive suppression and anger.

CONCLUSIONS

Physical and emotional abuse had distinct effects and influencing mechanisms on adolescents' externalizing and internalizing problems. Compared with physical abuse, emotional abuse elicited more harms and subsequent psychopathologies.

Loneliness and coping skill mediate the association between child maltreatment and depression for rural males and females

BACKGROUND

Child maltreatment is a prevalent and notable problem in rural China, and the prevalence and severity of depression in rural areas are higher than the national norm. Several studies have found that loneliness and coping skills respectively mediated the relationship between child maltreatment and depression. However, few studies have examined the roles of loneliness and coping skills in child maltreatment and depression based on gender differences.

METHODS

All participants were from rural communities aged more than 18 years in Shandong province, and 879 valid samples (female:63.4%) ranging in age from 18 to 91 years old were analyzed. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D), the Simple Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), and the Emotional and Social Loneliness Scale (ESLS) were used to evaluate child maltreatment, depression, coping skills and loneliness.

RESULTS

Child maltreatment was more common and severe in males than females (F = 3.99; p < 0.05). Loneliness and coping skills partially mediated the relationship between child maltreatment and depression in males, but loneliness fully mediated the relationship between child maltreatment and depression in females.

CONCLUSION

In this study, males were more likely to experience child maltreatment. Child maltreatment and depression were correlated. We also found a mediating role of loneliness and coping skills for males and a mediating role of loneliness in females.

Family Risk Factors That Jeopardize Child Development: Scoping Review

The obligation to protect children is defined by law. However, there is fragility in identifying actual or potential situations that jeopardize their development. This review aims to identify the family risk factors that jeopardize child development. A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute for Evidence-Based Practice framework and the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. The research was carried out on the electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, Nursing & Allied Health Collection: Comprehensive, MEDLINE Complete, and MedicLatina, with a time limit of 2010 to 2021. The search was restricted to documents written in Portuguese, English, and French. A total of 3998 articles were initially identified. After selecting and analysing, 28 risk factors were extracted from 29 articles. Four categories of risk factors were identified—namely, patterns of social and economic interaction, family characteristics, caregiver’s characteristics, and parenting. The results of this review allow the identification of family risk factors that jeopardize child development. This is significant for Child Protective Services workers as they carry out their risk assessments. This assessment is the first step in avoiding an accumulation of harm to at-risk children and allowing the development of interventions for minimising harm’s impact on children’s development.

Identification of Key Modules and Genes Associated with Major Depressive Disorder in Adolescents

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Adolescence is a crucial period for the occurrence and development of depression. There are essential distinctions between adolescent and adult depression patients, and the etiology of depressive disorder is unclear. The interactions of multiple genes in a co-expression network are likely to be involved in the physiopathology of MDD. In the present study, RNA-Seq data of mRNA were acquired from the peripheral blood of MDD in adolescents and healthy control (HC) subjects. Co-expression modules were constructed via weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to investigate the relationships between the underlying modules and MDD in adolescents. In the combined MDD and HC groups, the dynamic tree cutting method was utilized to assign genes to modules through hierarchical clustering. Moreover, functional enrichment analysis was conducted on those co-expression genes from interested modules. The results showed that eight modules were constructed by WGCNA. The blue module was significantly associated with MDD after multiple comparison adjustment. Several Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways associated with stress and inflammation were identified in this module, including histone methylation, apoptosis, NF-kappa β signaling pathway, and TNF signaling pathway. Five genes related to inflammation, immunity, and the nervous system were identified as hub genes: CNTNAP3, IL1RAP, MEGF9, UBE2W, and UBE2D1. All of these findings supported that MDD was associated with stress, inflammation, and immune responses, helping us to obtain a better understanding of the internal molecular mechanism and to explore biomarkers for the diagnosis or treatment of depression in adolescents.

The relationship between child neglect and adolescent interpersonal functioning: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Neglect is a highly prevalent, yet historically understudied form of maltreatment. Recent research has revealed the far reaching and unique effects that neglect has on subsequent cognitive, behavioural and socio-emotional development, and on long-term physical and mental health outcomes. Adolescent interpersonal functioning is important to explore given the significant relational transitions that occur during this stage of development, and the known impact that these social changes can have on future life outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review synthesises the literature exploring the relationship between neglect and adolescent interpersonal functioning in peer relationships.

METHODS

Seven databases and three grey literature sites were systematically searched, and identified records screened against inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Twenty-one articles were included in the final sample, exploring five different indicators of adolescent interpersonal functioning. Around half of the papers investigating quality of peer relationships found that neglect, particularly emotional neglect, is associated with reduced relationship quality, and there is consistent evidence that neglect increases the risk of gang involvement and deviant peer affiliation.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings may be used to strengthen a trauma-informed approach to work with adolescents. Research on neglect and adolescent romantic relationships is sparse. Overall, the literature is varied and further research using longitudinal data and consistent measures of neglect would be of value.

Evaluating child maltreatment and family violence risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using a telehealth home visiting program as a conduit to families

The COVID‐19 pandemic has affected many child maltreatment risk factors and may have affected maltreatment among vulnerable families. We surveyed 258 certified providers of an evidence‐based home visiting program, SafeCare, about their perception of the impact of the pandemic on the families they serve. We examined if the providers perceived an overall change in child maltreatment and family violence risk among the families with young children they served and factors that may have contributed to changes. Regressions estimated the relationship between providers’ assessment of families’ ability to social distance, emotional struggles, and access to public resources/services with providers’ perception of child maltreatment and family violence risk in the home. Findings indicate that 87% of providers believed maltreatment risk had increased during the pandemic. Providers serving families who were unable to social distance due to employment were more likely to report increased supervisory neglect and material neglect among the families they serve. Providers reporting that families were struggling with elevated frustration levels also reported more family conflict and material neglect among the families they serve. Results from this research can inform strategic decision‐making for policies and programs that address the challenges low‐income families with young children face in emergency situations.

Relationship between Early Maladaptive Schemas and Anxiety in Adolescence and Young Adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Early maladaptive schemas (EMS) are self-perpetuating dysfunctional cognitive structures that have been linked with youth psychological health and play a significant role in developing and maintaining psychological distress, including anxiety symptoms.

METHOD

The present meta-analysis synthesises the existing literature to evaluate the strength of association between EMS and anxiety symptoms among adolescents and young adults (aged 10-29 years). The systematic literature search was carried out in October 2019 using six different databases.

RESULTS

Our systematic search has identified 15 studies, comprising of 9515 participants (Mean age = 18.95, SD = 5.30). All the studies assessed were either cross-sectional or longitudinally designed. The random effect estimate for overall EMS with anxiety was r = 0.59 (95% Cl = 0.50 to 0.68, Z = 9.69, p < 0.0001), indicating a strong association between EMS and anxiety. When different schema domains were investigated separately, anxiety was shown to have significantly stronger associations with the schema domains of disconnection/rejection (r = 0.50), impaired autonomy/performance (r = 0.47) and other-directedness (r = 0.49). Further, females were found to have higher schemas of hypervigilance and other-directedness and associated anxiety symptoms compared to males.

LIMITATIONS

Meta-analytical results were limited to articles published in peer-reviewed journals in English language, inducing an upward publication bias and limiting the generalizability of the findings.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight schemas related to disconnection/rejection, impaired autonomy/performance and other-directedness as particularly salient precursors of anxiety symptoms, providing evidence for clinicians to target these particular schemas during prevention, intervention, and management of anxiety disorder.

A tangled start: The link between childhood maltreatment, psychopathology, and relationships in adulthood

BACKGROUND

Adults with a history of childhood maltreatment are more likely to experience distrust, feel distant from others, and develop an insecure attachment style which may also affect relationship quality. Furthermore, childhood maltreatment has been linked to several mental health problems; including, depression, anxiety, and alcohol dependance severity, that are also known to relationship quality.

OBJECTIVE

The current study was designed to investigate to what extent childhood maltreatment is associated with adult insecure attachment and intimate relationships and whether this association is mediated by psychopathology.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHOD

In a study comprised of 2035 adults aged 18-65, we investigated whether childhood maltreatment was associated with insecure adult attachment styles and the quality of intimate relationships and whether this was mediated by depression, anxiety, and alcohol dependence severity (based on repeated assessments of the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report, Beck Anxiety Index, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test respectively).

RESULTS

The path model showed an acceptable fit, RMSEA = 0.05, and suggested full mediation of the association of childhood maltreatment with quality of intimate relationships by depression severity and a) anxious attachment (β = -4.0 ∗ 10^-2; 95% CI = -5.5 ∗ 10^-2, -2.7 ∗ 10^-2) and b) avoidant attachment (β = -7.2 ∗ 10^-2; 95% CI = -9.6 ∗ 10^-2, -4.9 ∗ 10^-2). Anxiety and alcohol dependence severity were not significant mediators.

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood maltreatment is associated with a lower quality of intimate relationships, which is fully mediated by depression severity and insecure attachment styles.

The Relationship Between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Processing of Emotional Facial Expressions in Healthy Young Men: Event-Related Potential and Behavioral Evidence

Background: Individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment present with a deficiency in emotional processing in later life. Most studies have focused mainly on childhood physical or sexual abuse; however, childhood emotional abuse, a core issue underlying different forms of childhood maltreatment, has received relatively little attention. The current study explored whether childhood emotional abuse is related to the impaired processing of emotional facial expressions in healthy young men. Methods: The emotional facial processing was investigated in a classical gender discrimination task while the event-related potentials (ERPs) data were collected. Childhood emotional abuse was assessed by a Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) among 60 healthy young men. The relationship between the score of emotional abuse and the behavioral and the ERP index of emotional facial expression (angry, disgust, and happy) were explored. Results: Participants with a higher score of childhood emotional abuse responded faster on the behavioral level and had a smaller P2 amplitude on the neural level when processing disgust faces compared to neutral faces. Discussion: Individuals with a higher level of childhood emotional abuse may quickly identify negative faces with less cognitive resources consumed, suggesting altered processing of emotional facial expressions in young men with a higher level of childhood emotional abuse.

Physiological Stress Response Reactivity Mediates the Link Between Emotional Abuse and Youth Internalizing Problems

Youth who are raised in emotionally abusive families are more likely to have poor mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety. However, the mechanisms of this association are unclear. The present study utilized a longitudinal sample of low-SES youth (N = 101, M_ageT1 = 10.24) to examine stress response reactivity (i.e. vagal withdrawal, sympathetic activation, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis activation) as mediators between emotional abuse and prospective youth internalizing symptoms. Results indicated that blunted HPA reactivity to a laboratory social stress task mediated the association between emotional abuse and youth internalizing symptoms. Emotional abuse was also associated with blunted parasympathetic nervous system activity (i.e. less vagal withdrawal than average). In sum, emotional abuse is a potent risk factor for youth internalizing symptoms, and this link may be mediated via dysregulation in physiological stress response systems. Primary prevention of childhood emotional abuse and secondary prevention programs that target self-regulation skills may reduce rates of youth internalizing symptoms and disorders.

Childhood maltreatment, psychiatric symptoms, and suicidal thoughts among adolescents receiving substance use treatment services

INTRODUCTION

Childhood maltreatment experiences are associated with future suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, yet the roles of specific psychiatric symptoms mediating this relation remain to be clarified. To clarify these relations, we tested a model incorporating multiple forms of childhood maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical punishment, emotional neglect), past year psychiatric disorder symptoms during adolescence (anxiety, mood, and conduct disorders) and recent suicidal thoughts.

METHODS

We administered structured interviews to 394 adolescents receiving outpatient substance use treatment services in the Southeastern United States (280 males; Mage = 16.33; SDage = 1.15). Structural equation models (SEMs) were used to evaluate the degree to which relations between childhood maltreatment and suicidal thoughts were mediated by specific past-year psychiatric symptoms.

RESULTS

Mood disorder symptoms significantly mediated the relation between neglect/negative home environment and suicidal thoughts. This path of influence did not vary by gender.

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood maltreatment and subsequent psychopathology influence suicidal thoughts among adolescents receiving substance use treatment services. The findings of the present study have implications for the adaptation and delivery of substance use treatment services to adolescents to enhance treatment engagement and outcomes.

Self-Blame Mediates the Link between Childhood Neglect Experiences and Internalizing Symptoms in Low-Risk Adolescents

Childhood neglect is the most common type of maltreatment, ranging from minor isolated incidents to consistent failures in emotional/physical caregiving. It has been associated with developmental impairments and considered a risk factor for the emergence of psychopathology, particularly internalizing disorders. This study aimed to explore individual differences in response to the continuum of severity of neglect in community adolescents, as well as the role of specific cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERSs) as mediators between childhood neglect and current internalizing symptoms. Low-risk adolescents (12-19 years old; M age 15.88 years; N = 123; 64 Females) completed questionnaires assessing these experiences. We employed a regression model and a simple mediation analyses. Findings indicate a positive association between childhood neglect, internalizing behaviors, and the adoption of self-blame as CERS. Moreover, the use of self-blame in response to everyday stress partially mediated the relationship between neglect and internalizing behaviors (effect size: .28). Findings support the hypothesis that even in a low risk sample, neglect is associated with internalizing symptoms, and highlight the importance of assessing individual differences in the experience of neglect. Moreover, the mediation effect of the CERSs of self-blame might serve as a potential target for psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at reducing internalizing symptoms.

Neighborhood disadvantage, childhood adversity, bullying victimization, and adolescent depression: A multiple mediational analysis

BACKGROUND

Each of the home, school, and neighborhood environmental factors for adolescent depression has received substantial attention in the literature; however, there remains a paucity of research which systematically examines the mechanisms whereby neighborhood structural and social characteristics in early childhood affects later depressive symptoms in adolescence as transmitted through family and school adversities.

METHODS

The present study used nationally representative sampled data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal survey following a cohort of 4,898 children along with their parents and teachers at the child's birth and at 1, 3, 5, 9, and 15 years of age. Public and restricted-use data were used to merge individual surveys and neighborhood profiles.

RESULTS

Our findings suggest that both neighborhood structural disadvantage and collective efficacy have direct impacts on adverse childhood experiences, bullying victimization, and social emotional development as well as indirect impacts on adolescents' depressive symptoms. Neighborhood collective efficacy, but not structural disadvantage, was found to directly contribute to later depressive symptoms of adolescents.

LIMITATIONS

Resilience factors such as familial support and stable relationships were not considered in the current study. Due to the unavailability of data, potential reciprocal relationships among peer bullying, social emotional problems, and depressive symptoms were not examined.

CONCLUSIONS

Our finding that neighborhood characteristics contribute to the development of adolescents' depression emphasizes the importance of a healthy neighborhood environment, which also provides implications for multi-faceted interventions to promote neighborhood resources and support systems, as well as community-wide bullying prevention programs and childhood adversity screenings.

Psychological Mediators of the Association Between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Depression: A Systematic Review

Background: A number of existing meta-analyses and narrative reviews have already addressed the relation between childhood adversity and depression, yet none of them has examined the specific link between emotional abuse and depression highlighted by previous research. It is no longer appropriate to regard childhood maltreatment as a unitary concept when considering its effects on subsequent depression; instead, subtypes of childhood maltreatment need to be scrutinized separately. This review addresses this significant gap by critically evaluating empirical studies examining psychological mediators of the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and subsequent depression. Methods: A systematic search of nine electronic databases was conducted to identify eligible studies published in English between January 1980 and January 2020. Given the heterogeneous outcomes of eligible studies and the inconsistent reporting of indirect effects, a narrative synthesis, rather than a quantitative meta-analysis, was conducted. An appraisal of methodological quality was also included. Results: We identified 34 papers, comprising 18,529 adults and 3,434 adolescents, including 888 clinical participants. Our synthesis suggests that studies on mediators in the emotional abuse-depression link have focused on five clusters of intervening variables: early maladaptive schemas, cognitive-personality variables, emotion dysregulation, interpersonal styles, and stressful negative events. Only 11 studies identified the unique contribution of emotional abuse to depression by controlling for other forms of childhood maltreatment. Conclusions: Our findings support several routes with relative consistency (e.g., early maladaptive schemas, hopelessness, negative cognitive styles, brooding rumination, overall emotion dysregulation). Because psychological mediators function as a complex interrelated system, controlling for the interrelation between them is important. The evidence for the purported mediating role of the factors identified in this review should be considered with caution given the relative dearth of large-scale, adequately powered longitudinal studies. This review proposes a comprehensive multilevel theoretical framework as a basis for future research.

Adolescent education outcomes and maltreatment: The role of pre-existing adversity, level of child protection involvement, and school attendance

BACKGROUND

Maltreated children are at high risk for low educational achievement, however few studies have accounted for confounding risk factors that commonly co-occur (including child, family and neighbourhood risk factors) and results have been mixed, particularly for adolescents.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to 1) examine the relationship between maltreatment and low educational achievement among Year 9 students, taking into account child, family and neighbourhood risk factors; 2) assess subgroup differences in outcomes based on level of child protection involvement and maltreatment type; and 3) identify prevalence and risk factors for low educational achievement.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A population birth cohort of West Australian children (N = 33,866) who sat national reading achievement tests between 2008 and 2010 was used for the main analysis.

METHODS

Linked administrative data from Departments of Health, Communities (Child Protection and Family Support), Education, and the Disability Services Commission was used to conduct a series of logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Maltreatment was significantly associated with low Year 9 achievement, even after accounting for many child, family and neighbourhood risk factors (aOR 1.51, 95 % CI 1.35-1.69). Educational outcomes were consistently poor across subgroups in the child protection system, including those with different levels of child protection involvement and maltreatment types. Other notable risk factors for low achievement included intellectual disability, attendance, parents' level of education, Aboriginality, and being older (indicating possible grade retention).

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents with a history of maltreatment are at risk for poor educational outcomes and need additional support. Multiple contributing risk factors suggest the need for whole-of-government solutions.

Emotional violence in childhood and health conditions, risk-taking behaviors, and violence perpetration among young adults in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Globally, over 1 billion children are victims of violence against children annually. Studies examining the health consequences of childhood violence have mostly focused on childhood physical violence (PV) and sexual violence (SV). Recent evidence suggests that childhood emotional violence (EV) may also be deleterious to the health and wellbeing of victims.

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the independent association between EV and some health conditions, risk taking behaviors, and violence perpetration among Nigerian young adults ages 18-24 years.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data from 2014 Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey (n = 4,203), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of individuals ages 13-24 were used.

METHODS

Childhood EV was defined as EV victimization before age 18 perpetrated by a parent, adult caregiver or other adult relative. Logistic regression analyses assessed the association between EV in childhood and mental distress in the past 30 days, ever self-harm behaviors and history of sexually transmitted infections; risk behaviors such as having multiple sex partners in the past 12 months; and ever violence perpetration.

RESULTS

After controlling for study covariates, EV in childhood was associated with mental distress in both males and females, and self-harm behaviors in females; excessive alcohol use and infrequent condom use in males, and multiple sexual partners in females; and PV perpetration in males and SV perpetration in females.

CONCLUSION

EV in childhood is associated with some health conditions, risk taking behaviors, and violence perpetration. Implementing programs that address all forms of violence in childhood, including EV may benefit children.

Emotional Maltreatment and Adolescent Depression: Mediating Mechanisms and Demographic Considerations in a Child Welfare Sample

Emotional maltreatment is a risk factor for adolescent depression. Yet, it remains unclear whether commissions and omissions of emotional maltreatment (a) confer vulnerability via distinct mechanisms and (b) demonstrate similar risk across adolescent subpopulations. The present, multiwave study examined whether school engagement and peer relationships explain the depressive effects of distinct emotional maltreatment subtypes in an at-risk child welfare sample (N = 657; ages 11-14, Age_Mean  = 12.49). The findings indicated that commission subtypes of emotional maltreatment predicted increasing depressive symptoms via increasing peer relationship problems, especially for girls. Meanwhile, decreasing school engagement was a depressogenic risk pathway for Hispanic adolescents reporting omission subtypes of emotional maltreatment. The results emphasize the importance of distinguish between emotional maltreatment subtypes to identify specific risk pathways for adolescent depression.

Childhood trauma and adult declarative memory performance in the general population: The mediating effect of alexithymia

BACKGROUND

Previous studies suggested that childhood maltreatment is associated with altered memory performance in adulthood. Deficits in identifying and describing feelings as captured by the alexithymia construct are strongly linked with childhood trauma and may mediate the associations with memory function.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the associations of childhood trauma with verbal declarative memory performance and the putative mediating role of alexithymia.

METHOD

Associations of the different dimensions of childhood trauma with adult declarative memory performance were tested in two large, independent general population samples comprising a total of N = 5574 participants. Moreover, we tested whether associations were mediated by alexithymia.

RESULTS

In both samples, childhood emotional neglect, but not abuse emerged as a negative statistical predictor of early (sample 1: β=-1.79; p < 0.001, sample 2: β=-0.26; p < 0.001) as well as delayed recall (β=-0.78; p < 0.001; β=-0.24; p < 0.05). Likewise, childhood emotional neglect was the strongest predictor for alexithymia (β = 3.2; p < 0.001; β = 3.54; p < 0.001). Finally, the association between childhood emotional neglect and early (Total Mediated Effect (TME): 13.2, CI: 0.087-0.302; TME: 20.1; CI: 0.123-0.619) as well as late recall (TME: 13.2, CI: 0.086-0.301; TME: 9; CI: -0.442-0.699) was significantly mediated by alexithymia.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that childhood emotional neglect is particularly detrimental to memory functioning in adulthood. In comparison, childhood abuse was not associated with reduced declarative memory capacity. Our results contribute to explain the mechanism underlying the relation of childhood trauma and memory deficits: Finding specific associations with emotional neglect and a mediating role of alexithymia highlights the relevance of emotion processing capacities for memory functioning.

Linking childhood emotional abuse and adult depressive symptoms: The role of mentalizing incapacity

BACKGROUND

Accumulated evidence suggests that childhood emotional abuse is particularly related to adulthood depression. However, this connection demands further explanation regarding potential intermediate factors.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to disentangle the independent effects of emotional abuse on adulthood depressive symptoms by statistically controlling for other forms of childhood maltreatment, and to examine mentalizing incapacity (i.e., hypermentalizing, hypomentalizing) as a potential mediator in this relationship.

PARTICIPANTS

A general sample of 205 adults were assessed online.

METHOD

Participants completed a set of self-report measures assessing childhood maltreatment history, mentalizing and depression symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression was employed to assess the independent effect of emotional abuse on depression. Bootstrap analysis was used to test mediation models.

RESULTS

Emotional abuse continued to exert a significant effect on adulthood depression after controlling for other forms of childhood maltreatment and mentalizing incapacity. A mediation effect between childhood emotional abuse and adulthood depression symptoms via mentalizing incapacity, both hypermentalizing (b = 2.02, 95 % CI [0.96, 3.25]) and hypomentalizing, (b = 1.26, 95 % CI [0.59, 1.99]), was established.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided preliminary evidence for hypermentalizing and hypomentalizing as mechanisms whereby early emotional abuse can lead to later depression. A normal to high level of mentalizing capacity might serve as a protective factor to suspend the pathway from childhood maltreatment to subsequent depression and become a promising target in psychological treatments. As cross-sectional data does not allow conclusions to be drawn on causal relationships, longitudinal data in a more representative sample is needed to capture relevant context and further examine our findings.

Sluggish cognitive tempo and exposure to interpersonal trauma in children

Background: Childhood adversity has been suggested, but not yet empirically examined, as a factor in sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) in childhood.Objective: This study was an examination of SCT in relation to childhood adversity, and its association with exposure to non-interpersonal and interpersonal trauma.Method: Caregivers (N = 161) and a sub-sample of children, 8-17 years old, were recruited from mental health and pediatric practices/programs and interviewed.Results: SCT was positively associated with interpersonal trauma but not non-interpersonal trauma. Two hierarchical regression analyses revealed that interpersonal trauma exposure was associated with SCT score over and above symptoms of other psychopathologies.Conclusion: Results suggest that SCT is associated with interpersonal trauma exposure in children. Further research is needed to examine the association between SCT and interpersonal trauma exposure, and trauma-related biopsychosocial impairments.

The Differential Victimization Associated With Depression and Anxiety in Cross-Cultural Perspective: A Meta-Analysis

Traditional bullying and cyberbullying have become serious worldwide issues. The meta-analysis in this article took a cross-cultural perspective to explore whether there were any differences between the effects of cyber victimization and traditional victimization on the presence of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents and to examine the effects of moderators in explaining these differences/similarities. Fifty-six empirical studies (generating 148 independent samples) were included with a total sample size of 214,819 participants. The results indicated that the effects of cyber victimization and the subtypes of traditional victimization on anxiety were significantly different, and there was a marginally significant difference for depression. The moderating effects of country of origin were found to be significant for depression, with the mean effect size in North America being significantly higher than in China and Europe, which suggested that culture was an important factor. The moderating effects of age were also found to be significant for the relationships between traditional victimization and depression, traditional victimization and anxiety, cyber victimization and depression, and cyber victimization and anxiety. In addition, the effect size for cyber victimization and depression has increased in more recent publication years.

Childhood Emotional Maltreatment and Problematic Social Media Use Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Body Image Dissatisfaction

Preliminary evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment is associated with higher problematic social media use (PSMU). It has also been established that childhood emotional maltreatment (CEM) is associated with body image dissatisfaction (BID). However, the direct and indirect impacts of CEM on PSMU via BID remain untested. The present study examined these direct and indirect relationships among a sample of 385 adolescents (mean age 15.62 years, range 14–18 years). Results indicated that female adolescents had higher levels of CEM, BID, and PSMU compared to males. Structural equation modeling indicated that CEM was indirectly associated with PSMU via BID among males. However, only BID was positively associated with PSMU among females. The findings are in accordance with theoretical models suggesting that individuals’ core characteristics including early childhood experiences and psychopathological factors are associated with different types of specific internet-use disorders.

Family and Personality Predictors of Clinical Depression and Anxiety in Emerging Adults: Common, Distinctive, or a Vulnerability Continuum?

There is an ongoing debate on the relationship between depression and anxiety, but data on similarities and differences in their predictor profiles are scarce. The aim of our study was to compare family and personality predictors of these disorders among 220 "emerging adults." As such, two clinical groups with noncomorbid depressive and anxiety disorders, and one healthy control group were assessed by sociodemographic questionnaires, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders and NEO Personality Inventory, Revised. We found significant overlap in family and personality risk profiles, with increasing effect size for predictors common to anxiety and depression when the categories "no disorder-anxiety disorder-depressive disorder" were considered as existing along a continuum. Among the contributing factors we assessed, family psychiatric history, family structure and conflicts with parents were more significant than personality traits. Our study indicates that emerging adults may be more vulnerable to depression than anxiety in the presence of family and personality risk factors.

Disentangling the mental health impact of childhood abuse and neglect: A replication and extension study in a Brazilian sample of high-risk youth

Childhood maltreatment is a key predictor of mental health problems across the life span. Yet, how maltreatment types independently and jointly influence the risk for psychiatric problems remains unclear. The aim of the study was two-fold: first, to replicate recent findings regarding the impact of maltreatment types on youth psychiatric symptoms, based on a Brazilian sample of high-risk adolescents (n = 347; age range = 11-17 yrs), and second, to extend existing findings by examining whether this relationship is mediated by bullying victimization and/or perpetration. Measures included self-report ratings of childhood maltreatment and peer victimization, as well as multi-informant reports of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Consistent with prior research, we found that: (i) maltreatment types often co-occurred; (ii) there was a linear association between number of maltreatment types experienced and symptom severity (i.e. cumulative effect); and (iii) emotional abuse emerged as the most consistent independent predictor of poor mental health across domains, raters, and gender. Additionally, this study extends previous findings by showing that the influence of maltreatment on psychiatric outcomes is partially mediated by peer victimization, but not by bullying perpetration. In conclusion, these findings expand our understanding of the heterogeneity in individual responses to maltreatment as well as highlighting emotional abuse as an important predictor of poor mental health.

The effects of pessimism on cell-mediated immunity in rats

We used a recently developed ambiguous-cue interpretation (ACI) paradigm to investigate whether 'optimism' and 'pessimism' as behavioural traits may be interrelated with immune functions in rodents. To this aim, in a series of ACI tests (cognitive bias screening, CBS), we identified rats that displayed 'pessimistic' and 'optimistic' traits. We found significant differences in immune biomarkers between 'optimistic' and 'pessimistic' animals. Moreover 'pessimism' was associated with significantly lower relative weight of the spleen and thymus, significantly decreased proliferative activity of splenocytes. Pessimism was associated with an increased production of interleukin-(IL)1β and IL-4, activin A, l-selectin, interferon (IFN)-γ and some chemokines and receptors for advanced glycation endproducts. The findings indicate an inflammatory profile in "pessimistic" animals.

A Prospective Examination of the Relations Between Emotional Abuse and Anxiety: Moderation by Distress Tolerance

Anxiety, the most common and impairing psychological problem experienced by youth, is associated with numerous individual and environmental factors. Two such factors include childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and low distress tolerance (DT). The current study aimed to understand how CEA and low DT impacted anxiety symptoms measured annually across 5 years among a community sample of youth. We hypothesized DT would moderate the relationship between CEA and anxiety, such that youth with higher levels of CEA and lower levels of DT would have elevated anxiety over time. Community youth (N = 244) were annually assessed across 5 years using the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and Behavioral Indicator of Resiliency to Distress. Higher CEA at baseline was associated with higher anxiety at baseline, higher anxiety at each annual assessment, and with greater overall decreases in anxiety over time. Lower DT was associated with higher anxiety at baseline, but did not predict changes in anxiety over time. Baseline DT significantly moderated the relationship between baseline CEA and anxiety, such that youth with both higher CEA and lower DT had the highest anxiety at each annual assessment. Youth with lower DT and higher CEA scores had the highest level of anxiety symptoms across time.

Experiences of severe childhood maltreatment, depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse among adults in Finland

Childhood maltreatment increases the risk of subsequent depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse, but the rate of resilient victims is unknown. Here, we investigated the rate of victims that do not suffer from clinical levels of these problems after severe maltreatment in a population-based sample of 10980 adult participants. Compared to men, women reported more severe emotional and sexual abuse, as well as more severe emotional neglect. For both genders, severe emotional abuse (OR = 3.80 [2.22, 6.52]); severe physical abuse (OR = 3.97 [1.72, 9.16]); severe emotional neglect (OR = 3.36 [1.73, 6.54]); and severe physical neglect (OR = 11.90 [2.66, 53.22]) were associated with depression and anxiety while only severe physical abuse (OR = 3.40 [1.28, 9.03]) was associated with alcohol abuse. Looking at men and women separately, severe emotional abuse (OR = 6.05 [1.62, 22.60] in men; OR = 3.74 [2.06, 6.81] in women) and severe physical abuse (OR = 6.05 [1.62, 22.60] in men; OR = 3.03 [0.99, 9.33] in women) were associated with clinical levels of depression and anxiety. In addition, in women, severe sexual abuse (OR = 2.40 [1.10, 5.21]), emotional neglect (OR = 4.78 [2.40, 9.56]), and severe physical neglect (OR = 9.86 [1.99, 48.93]) were associated with clinical levels of depression and anxiety. Severe emotional abuse in men (OR = 3.86 [0.96, 15.48]) and severe physical abuse in women (OR = 5.18 [1.48, 18.12]) were associated with alcohol abuse. Concerning resilience, the majority of severely maltreated participants did not report clinically significant levels of depression or anxiety (72%), or alcohol abuse (93%) in adulthood. Although the majority of severely abused or neglected individuals did not show clinical levels of depression, anxiety or alcohol use, severe childhood maltreatment increased the risk for showing clinical levels of psychopathology in adulthood.