Childhood maltreatment and adult mental disorders – the prevalence of different types of maltreatment and associations with age of onset and severity of symptoms

Abstract

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for numerous mental disorders. However, the specificity of CM types in mental disorders is still being discussed. The present study examined the prevalence of five CM types in patients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder (SZ; n = 107), bipolar disorder (BD; n = 103), depression (MDD; n = 604; with the two subgroups Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) and non-chronic MDD), and in healthy controls (HC; n = 715). Additionally, associations between CM types, symptom severity, and age of onset were investigated. The prevalence of all CM types was higher in the patient groups compared to HC. Emotional neglect, emotional abuse, and physical neglect were reported most frequently in all groups. Notably, patients with PDD reported more CM of all types than patients with non-chronic MDD. The severity of depression was associated with emotional abuse and neglect; anxiety with emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse; positive SZ symptoms with physical neglect; negative symptoms with emotional and physical neglect; and mania with sexual abuse and physical neglect. CM was associated with a younger age of onset in MDD and BD. The high prevalence of CM in patients with severe mental disorders highlights the importance of considering this issue in the treatment of such patients.