What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and weaker: How childhood trauma relates to temperament traits

Abstract

Childhood trauma arises from damaging experiences and the absence of a secure and reliable environment for child development. Despite many studies on the risk for developing psychiatric disorders, much less is known on the relationship between traumatic experiences and personality traits. A total of 10,800 participants (mean age 27.7 ± 7.8 years old, 69.8% women) anonymously answered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Affective and Emotional Composite Temperament Scale (AFECTS) in the Brazilian Internet Study on Temperament and Psychopathology (BRAINSTEP). The results showed that total trauma score was associated with lower levels of positive traits (volition, control, coping, and stability), higher scores of negative traits (sensitivity, anger, anxiety) and a higher frequency of depressive and cyclothymic temperaments. Linear regression analysis showed similar findings for emotional abuse and neglect, whereas physical abuse and neglect were positively associated with more volition and coping as well as less fear, sensitivity and anxiety traits, especially in men. This study has a cross-sectional design and the sole use of self-reporting as the main limitations. In conclusion, dysfunctional temperament profiles were associated mainly with emotional trauma and sexual abuse. Some adaptive traits were associated with physical abuse and neglect, especially in men. These results reinforce the negative impact of emotional trauma and people's resilience to physical trauma, which may even translate into adaptive trait expression in males particularly. We propose that the “context-dependent nature” of stress should be further studied to break down the influence of specific types and contexts of adversity on psychological and psychiatric outcomes.