Childhood Traumatic Experiences Research Articles

Childhood trauma and fear of childbirth: findings from a birth cohort study

The aim of this study is to investigate if experiencing childhood trauma (emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical abuse, physical neglect, or sexual abuse) or a greater total burden of childhood trauma increase the risk of fear of childbirth (FOC). This study included 2556 women living in Southwest Finland. Women were recruited during routine ultrasound visits at gestational week (gwk) 12. Experiencing childhood trauma was assessed in retrospect with the Trauma and Distress Scale (TADS) questionnaire completed at gwk 14. Information on the diagnosis of FOC (ICD-10 diagnosis O99.80) was obtained from the Finnish Medical Birth Register. Associations between childhood trauma (domains and total TADS score) and FOC were analyzed with logistic regression in unadjusted and adjusted models. Emotional abuse (aOR 1.25, 95% CI 1.10–1.42), emotional neglect (aOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.08–1.46), and a greater total burden of trauma (TADS total score) (aOR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02–1.10) increased the risk for FOC. We found no evidence for physical abuse (aOR 1.15, 95% CI 1.00–1.32), physical neglect (aOR 1.06, 95% CI 0.92–1.22), and sexual abuse (aOR 1.24, 95% CI 0.99–1.56) associating with FOC. Childhood emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and a greater total burden of childhood trauma increase the risk for FOC. However, the childhood traumatic events were inquired in retrospect, which could distort the events.

Association of age of adverse childhood experiences with thalamic volumes and post-traumatic stress disorder in adulthood.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to brain development and mental disorders, however, the impact of the age of occurrence of ACEs on thalamic volume and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after adult trauma remains unclear. This study assessed associations between ACEs at different ages to thalamic volumes and PTSD development following acute adult trauma. Seventy-nine adult trauma survivors were recruited immediately after trauma. Within 2 weeks of the traumatic event, participants completed the PTSD Checklist (PCL) to assess PTSD symptoms, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and Childhood Age Range Stress Scale (CARSS) to evaluate ACEs and perceived stress level at preschool (<6 years old) and school (6-13 years old) ages, and structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) to measure thalamic volumes. Participants were divided into three groups: those who experienced no childhood trauma or stress (non-ACEs), those who experienced childhood trauma and stress onset at preschool ages (Presch-ACEs), and those who experienced childhood trauma and stress onset at school ages (Sch-ACEs). At 3 months, participants underwent PTSD symptom evaluation using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Adult trauma survivors in the Presch-ACEs group had higher CTQ and CAPS scores. In addition, survivors in the Presch-ACEs group had smaller thalamic volume compared to survivors in the non-ACEs and Sch-ACEs groups. Furthermore, smaller thalamic volume moderated a positive association between post-trauma 2-week PCL and subsequent 3-month CAPS scores. Earlier occurrence of ACEs was associated with smaller thalamic volume, which appears to moderate a positive association between early posttraumatic stress symptom severity and PTSD development after adult trauma. This raises the possibility that early occurrence of ACEs may impact thalamic structure, specifically a reduction in thalamic volume, and that smaller thalamic volume may contribute to susceptibility to PTSD development after adult trauma.

The role of childhood left-behind experience on childhood trauma exposure and mental health outcomes: a propensity score matching (PSM) analysis.

China has a significant number of left-behind families. This study focuses on the long-term effects of childhood left-behind experience on different type of childhood trauma and mental health outcomes in later life development. participants were 67795 Chinese young adults. Psychosocial characteristics were screened by sleep quality, the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire for depressive symptoms, the generalized anxiety disorder-7 for anxiety symptoms, trauma screening questionnaire for post-traumatic stress, a short form of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire for childhood trauma. Propensity score matching (PSM) and multivariate linear regression were applied to analyze the data. the results of the post-PSM analysis showed that the distributions of propensity scores for the two groups were approximately equal. And the total sample size in post-analysis dropped to 2358 (Nnuclear family=1179, Nleft-behind family=1179), with unmatched cases excluded. Post-matching results showed that the students from left-behind family were significantly associated with severer post-traumatic stress (b=0.39, 95% CI=[0.15, 0.62]), loneliness (b=0.29, 95% CI=[0.16, 0.42]), depressive symptoms (b=0.44, 95% CI=[0.06, 0.82]) and CTQ-physical neglect (b=0.34, 95% CI=[0.11, 0.58]). our study showed that childhood left-behind experiences are tightly related to childhood trauma experience and mental health issues (post-traumatic stress, loneliness and depression) in late adolescents.

Influence of childhood trauma, HIV infection, alcohol use disorder, and resilience on health-related quality of life in adulthood

Experience of childhood trauma, especially physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, carries a risk for developing alcohol use disorder (AUD) and engaging in risky behaviors that can result in HIV infection. AUD and HIV are associated with compromised self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) possibly intersecting with childhood trauma. To determine whether poor HRQoL is heightened by AUD, HIV, their comorbidity (AUD + HIV), number of trauma events, or poor resilience, 108 AUD, 45 HIV, 52 AUD + HIV, and 67 controls completed the SF-21 HRQoL, Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), Ego Resiliency Scale (ER-89), and an interview about childhood trauma. Of the 272 participants, 116 reported a trauma history before age 18. Participants had a blood draw, AUDIT questionnaire, and interview about lifetime alcohol consumption. AUD, HIV, and AUD + HIV had lower scores on HRQoL and resilience composite comprising the BRS and ER-89 than controls. Greater resilience was a significant predictor of better quality of life in all groups. HRQoL was differentially moderated in AUD and HIV: more childhood traumas predicted poorer quality of life in AUD and controls, whereas higher T-lymphocyte count contributed to better quality of life in HIV. This study is novel in revealing a detrimental impact on HRQoL from AUD, HIV, and their comorbidity, with differential negative contribution from trauma and beneficial effect of resilience to quality of life. Channeling positive effects of resilience and reducing the incidence and negative impact of childhood trauma may have beneficial effects on health-related quality of life in adulthood independent of diagnosis.

Does childhood traumatic experience affect household life insurance demand in middle and older ages? Evidence from the 1959-1961 Great Chinese Famine

ABSTRACT Childhood unexpected trauma casts a lifelong shadow on subsequent financial behaviours. The existing literature has mainly investigated stock or bond market participation, and few scholars focus on insurance decisions. Our paper enriches previous studies by testing the impact of childhood famine exposure on household life insurance demand in middle and older age groups. Using CHARLS, we discover that householders exposed to the 1959–1961 Great Chinese Famine as children were more inclined to own life insurance policies and pay higher premiums. Specifically, respondents who experienced the famine between 0–2 or 7–17 years old highly promoted their life insurance demand, whereas no statistically significant effects were observed for preschool famine experience. Additionally, women and people with three or more children were more likely to be influenced by the famine. Finally, risk and time preference were effective mediation factors, both channelling around 5% of the relationship.

Research Mapping of Trauma Experiences in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Bibliometric Analysis.

The number of research related to traumatic experiences in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has grown exponentially, yet there are no bibliometric studies in this field. This article aimed to analyze the literature related to trauma and ASD published in Web of Science (WoS). Papers on trauma and ASD were retrieved from the WoS. Analysis and visualization of selected documents were performed using MS Excel (v16.0), VOS viewer (version 1.6.15), and R package (Biblioshiny, version 2.0). A total of 147 articles were included in this study. The results showed that production has been increasing over the last few years. Among the countries identified, the USA published the largest number of articles. Arvid Nikolai Kildahl, Sissel Berge Helverschou, and Liliana Dell'Osso were the authors with the most number of publications on this topic, and Autism was the most productive journal. The main research topics associated with ASD were post-traumatic stress and traumatic experiences in childhood. This bibliometric study contributes to understanding research trends on trauma and ASD by evaluating relevant publications in the last decades. The results of this bibliometric analysis can serve as a basis and orientation for new studies.

Pathways from childhood trauma to suicidal ideation: mediating through difficulties in emotion regulation and depressive symptoms

ObjectiveSuicidal ideation is a clinical exigency heightening the risk of suicide at different levels of suicidal behavior. This study sought to explore crucial correlates of this phenomenon with a structural equation modeling approach. Accordingly, the mediating role of depressive symptoms and difficulties in emotion regulation between childhood trauma and suicidal ideation were explored.MethodThe sample consisted of 372 university students (57.3% females, M = 20.75, SD = 2.25) who completed self-report measures examining experiences of childhood trauma, depressive symptoms, difficulties in emotion regulation, and suicidal ideation. Structural equation modeling was employed, and mediation analysis was conducted. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the measurement model of each construct before evaluating the conceptual mediated model.ResultsFindings indicate that depressive symptoms with difficulties in emotion regulation had the strongest association (r = 0.60, P = 0.001), then depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation (r = 0.58, P = 0.001), suicidal ideation with difficulties in emotion regulation (r = 0.45, P = 0.001) then suicidal ideation with childhood trauma (r = 0.39, P = 0.001), difficulties in emotion regulation with childhood trauma (r = 0.36 P = 0.001) and finally depressive symptoms and childhood trauma (r = 0.35, P = 0.001). Regarding indirect paths, difficulties in emotion regulation and depression function together (in a sequential path) to mediate the association between childhood trauma and suicidal ideation ( χ2(68) = 216.86, P < 0.01, CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.93, RMSE = 0.077, CI [0.066 to 0.089], SRMR = 0.049).ConclusionResults demonstrate that childhood trauma, depressive symptoms, and difficulties in emotion regulation are linked to suicidal ideation, highlighting the necessity of recognizing and addressing suicidal ideation as well as the factors that contribute to suicidal ideation. Emotion regulation interventions can be effective in reducing the negative effects of childhood trauma and lowering the risk of suicide. These interventions can help in reducing depressive symptoms and improve overall mental well-being, leading to a lower risk of suicide.

Childhood Trauma and Substance Use Treatment Length of Stay and Completion

ABSTRACT Using clinical data mining (CDM) methodology, this study evaluates the relationship between childhood trauma and treatment outcomes among adults with substance use disorders. Data come from three substance use treatment facilities operating under the same agency using the same treatment program (N = 444). We examined the influence of childhood trauma, neglect, and school violence on substance use treatment completion and length of stay. We also looked at the connection between client’s family history of substance use and their experience of neglect and childhood trauma. We found that family history of substance use was significantly related to both neglect and childhood trauma. We also found that the number of weeks a client spent in treatment was associated treatment location. Furthermore, client age at admission and program completion were significantly related. Marital status, sex, and number of diagnoses significantly related to childhood trauma. These findings suggest that comprehensive assessments that focus on understanding client demographics and history of family substance use can guide effective intervention. Further research on how childhood trauma influences substance use treatment outcomes can also help improve treatment.

The mediation role of impulsivity between childhood trauma and dissociative symptomatology in bipolar disorder.

We administered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11), Dissociative Experience Scale (DES-II), and Alda scale. Spearman correlation analysis assessed the independent variables associated with CTQ and DES-II. We performed a mediation analysis using the bootstrapping technique to verify the hypothesis that impulsivity represented an intervening variable between childhood trauma and dissociation. CTQ and DES-II scores in 100 BD patients were both significantly associated with the number of lifetime affective episodes, a clinical course of mania-depression-euthymia, suicidal ideation, a history of antidepressant-induced manic switch, poor response to mood stabilizers, mixed features, psychotic symptoms, aggressive behavior, and BIS-11 (p<0.01). At the regression analysis, CTQ was associated with DES-II (p<0.001), while DES-II was associated with the CTQ (p<0.001) and BIS-11 (p< 0.001), as well as with aggression (p=0.002). The mediation analysis showed that impulsivity significantly mediated the effect of childhood trauma on dissociative symptomatology (z=25.71; 0.930-1.084). Impulsivity might play a key role in onset and prognosis of BD patients. Our findings may help in increasing the knowledge about the possible association between impulsivity, childhood traumatic experiences and dissociative symptomatology. BD patients with dissociative symptoms might benefit from a tailored treatment which could include a training based on emotional and behavioral regulation.

The Mediating Role of Tolerance for Psychological Pain in the Relationship Between Different Types of Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Suicidal Ideation.

The aim of the present research was to evaluate the mediating effects of facets of the tolerance for psychological pain on the relationship between childhood trauma and suicidal ideation. A sample of 437 community individuals and a sample of 316 college students participated. For the community sample, managing the pain mediated the relationship between childhood trauma, the different types of traumatic experiences and suicidal ideation. In the college sample, managing the pain and enduring the pain mediated the relationship between childhood trauma, the different types of traumatic experiences and suicidal ideation, except for the case of sexual abuse. The present results have potential clinical implications. Mental health professionals should be aware of the long-term consequences of exposure to childhood trauma and need to assess the ability to tolerate psychological pain so as to implement appropriate psychological interventions that help individuals cope with their pain.

Sex Differences in Patterns of Childhood Traumatic Experiences in Chinese Rural-To-Urban Migrant Children.

Children and adolescents are likely to be exposed to various types of childhood traumatic experiences (CTEs) with gender-specific patterns. Rural-to-urban migrant children have been demonstrated a greater risk of CTE exposure than local children. However, no study has investigated sex differences in the patterns of CTEs and predictive factors among Chinese children. A large-scale questionnaire survey of rural-to-urban migrant children (N = 16,140) was conducted among primary and junior high schools in Beijing. Childhood trauma history, including interpersonal violence, vicarious trauma, accidents and injuries was measured. Demographic variables and social support were also examined. Latent class analysis (LCA) was utilized to examine patterns of childhood trauma, and logistic regression was used to examine predictors. Four classes of CTEs were found among both boys and girls, labeled low trauma exposure, vicarious trauma exposure, domestic violence exposure, and multiple trauma exposure. The possibility of various CTEs in the four CTE patterns was higher among boys than girls. Sex differences also manifested in predictors of childhood trauma patterns. Our findings shed light on sex differences in CTE patterns and predictive factors in Chinese rural-to-urban migrant children, suggesting that trauma history should be considered along with sex, and sex-specific prevention and treatment programs should be developed.

A film for an older-than-school-age audience. On Anton Azarenkov’s Children’s Cinema [Detskaya sinema

The essay is concerned with detailed examination of Children’s Cinema [Detskaya sinema] (2020), a book by the contemporary poet Anton Azarenkov that contains his selected poems, including the narrative poem ‘A refuge’ [‘Ubezhishche’]. The reviewer analyses the book’s subject and motif structure, identifying key topics such as abuse, traumatisation, and a revisited childhood experience, and discusses the complexity and gradual unfolding of the collection’s images and reminiscences. Subjected to Nuzhdina’s close examination is Azarenkov’s lyrical hero and his reception in present-day poetic criticism. According to Nuzhdina, the lyrical hero of Children’s Cinema typifies an unreliable narrator who looks to childhood traumatic experiences for a source of self-identification and, therefore, professes the aesthetic of ‘talking about trauma,’ a staple of modern poetry. In Azarenkov’s case, it results in the cyclicity of the book’s subject structure and its continuous use of recurrent motifs, as well as an artistic world constructed from the same repeatedly used elements, such as the experience of surviving abuse, departing, loneliness, memories about childhood, etc.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Among University Student and The Relationship With Depression

In a research conducted by Hillis et al. (2016), worldwide, 1 billion children aged 2-17 years experience ACE in various forms, such as sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Traumatic childhood experiences can potentially negatively affect health and well-being in the long term (Sacks, Murphey, and Moore, 2014). This research aims to determine the correlation between exposure to adverse childhood experiences and a tendency to depression. This study uses a quantitative approach with a statistical correlation test. There were 499 participants in this study with the ACE-IQ measuring instrument to measure the type of exposure to violence and the PHQ-9 to measure the level of depression. The statistical analysis showed a significant relationship between ACE and a tendency to depression with r=.43; p &lt; .001. Therefore, based on the statistical analysis results using Pearson Correlation, we concluded a positive correlation between Adverse Childhood Experiences and a tendency to depression. However, this study still does not comprehensively explain the level of ACE exposure and depression regarding gender and age differences.

Structural Brain Alterations in Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of three clusters of personality disorders characterized by a pattern of difficulty regulating emotion, impulse control, interpersonal relationships, and self-image. Emotional dysregulation, impulsive aggression, repetitive self-injury, and chronic suicidal tendencies make these individuals frequent users of mental health services. BPD has a variety of causes and involves several factors which interact in various ways with each other. Emotional dysregulation and impulsivity can be caused by genetic factors and traumatic childhood experiences and lead to dysfunctional behaviors, psychosocial conflicts, and deficits that may exacerbate emotional dysregulation and impulsivity. BPD has been linked to anatomical alterations in brain areas in the prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, corpus callosum, and frontolimbic network. These brain changes can lead to the manifestation of the inability to control behavior, feelings, and interpersonal relationships, which often leads to violence. These symptoms may begin at a young age or in early adulthood and tend to continue as the individual ages. The goal of this article is to review how structural changes in the brain can cause BPD. KEYWORDS Borderline personality disorder, MRI in BPD, BPD patients, personality disorders, structural imaging BPD, neurobiology BPD

Long-term effects of childhood trauma subtypes on adult brain function.

Childhood trauma is prevalent in our society, whereas little is known about why and how different forms of early traumatic experiences exert long-term effects on differential brain function in adulthood. This study aimed to scale experience-specific neural correlates of distinct subtypes of childhood trauma. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 216 adults with different degrees of childhood trauma. Graph analysis was combined with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire to inspect the impact of distinct subtypes of childhood trauma on the brain. We found that childhood trauma experiences have a detrimental effect on depression and anxiety behavior. On one hand, childhood neglect scores were positively associated with network transmission efficiency of regions involved in cognitive and executive functions, such as temporal lobe, insular cortex, and parahippocampal gyrus. On the other hand, childhood abuse scores were tightly linked to functional reorganizations of regions mediated by immature ego defense system and damaged emotion representation. Specifically, the abuse scores were positively associated with network transmission efficiency of the visual, auditory, linguistic, and motor cortex. Isolated communications in temporal cortex and supplementary motor cortex were related to emotional and physical abuse scores. Our data showed the differential associations of abusive and neglectful experiences with brain function in adulthood. These experience-specific associations could underpin potentially differential risks of specific forms of psychiatric sequelae in adulthood. More attentions to maltreated children and timely psychological treatment are needed to reduce the incidence of psychosis.

Childhood Trauma and Cyberbullying Perpetration: The Mediating Role of Callous-Unemotional Traits

ABSTRACT Throughout the years, cyberbullying has been explored and connected to experiences of childhood trauma (CT) and high levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits. This study aims to explore differences between cyberbullying perpetrators and non-perpetrators and explore the mediate role of CU traits between CT and cyberbullying perpetration (CBP). A cross-sectional study was conducted with 7139 participants (3728 girls; 52.2%), aged 10–22 years, of whom 276 (59.8% male) self-reported cyberbullying perpetration. Propensity score matching was used to select a sample of 276 adolescents’ non-perpetrators with similar characteristics, in order to compare cyberbullying perpetrators with non-perpetrators. Results showed that CBP was more predominant among boys and middle adolescents. Callousness trait partially mediates the relation between all the studied dimensions of CT and CBP. Uncaring traits partially mediated the relation between emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. CU traits (i.e., callousness and uncaring) mediated the relation between physical, and sexual abuse, and physical and emotional neglect. This study gives a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the relation between CT and CBP, which allows professionals to have a different evaluation when considering intervention programs.

Childhood sexual abuse related to brain activity abnormalities in right inferior temporal gyrus among major depressive disorder

Regional brain activity abnormalities have been reported in major depressive disorder (MDD) with childhood trauma (CT). However, these findings were variable and equivocal. The present study aims to explore further the correlation between CT and the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) alteration in MDD. In this study, we recruited 60 healthy controls (HCs) and 66 MDD patients to complete resting-state fMRI scans. All MDD patients were evaluated clinical symptoms and childhood trauma experience using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS-17), the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Compared to HCs, MDD patients demonstrated significantly altered ALFF in the right middle occipital gyrus (MOG), bilateral inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), bilateral cerebellum posterior lobe, bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC), and bilateral superior frontal gyrus (SFG). More importantly, we found negative correlation between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) scores and ALFF value appeared mainly in the right ITG among MDD patients. After adjusting for covariates (age, gender, mean framewise displacement (FD), HDRS-17, and HAMA scores), this correlation remained significant. Meanwhile, ALFF in the right ITG could distinguish MDD patients with or without CSA (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.713). Our findings revealed that the regional brain activity abnormalities in the right ITG might be a potential biomarker for MDD patients with CSA.

Study of Childhood Abuse and Anxiety: An Application of Logistic Regression

Introduction: Disorders can often lead to physical illness and suffering along with associated functional disability which hampers the overall well-being of a person. Consequently, it can lead to loss of productivity at the workplace, absenteeism, and social isolation which eventually affects the individual and the society. Researchers have found a crucial association between childhood traumatic experiences with developing anxiety or panic disorder.&#x0D; Methods: The purpose of this study is to do a logistic regression on Add health survey data to examine whether a history of childhood abuse tends to lead to a diagnosis of anxiety or panic disorder in later life. Additionally, medical conditions such as ADHD, PTSD or socio-economic conditions, and addiction were also investigated for their possible contribution to developing anxiety or panic disorder.&#x0D; Results: 49.4 % of respondents reported having faced either physical, emotional, or sexual abuse before the age of 18. Among the total respondents, 12.5 % reported having been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and among these individuals, 25.9 % reported having experienced physical abuse, 64.6 % faced emotional abuse, and 10.3 % said they faced sexual abuse earlier in their life. Results from logistic regression indicated gender (OR=2.069; 95% CI 1.627-2.7), race (OR=0.513; 95% CI 1.442-2.634), PTSD (OR=2.087; 95% CI 1.811-4.35), depression (OR 9.857; 95% CI 7.752-12.535) had a significant effect on developing anxiety. Additionally, an individual who experienced any kind of abuse in their childhood is 0.7 times (95% CI 0.527-0.841) more likely to develop the panic disorder later in their life. Results from the unadjusted logistic regression model indicated that individuals who reported a history of childhood abuse have 1.799 times (95% CI 1.473-2.197) higher odds of being diagnosed with anxiety disorder. Interestingly, women have higher odds (OR= 2.039; 95% CI 1.624-2.560) of having anxiety disorder than men if they were a victim of childhood abuse. Respondents who reported to have faced at least one type of abuse have approximately 1.886 (95% CI 1.512-2.354) times’ greater odds of having anxiety than those who didn’t. Consecutively, experiencing the two types of abuse increased the odds to 2.502 (95% CI 1.930-3.244) finally undergoing all three types of abuse increased the odds by more than double in comparison to those who faced a single kind.&#x0D; Conclusion: Childhood emotional abuse was found to be a more significant contributor to anxiety or panic disorder than other types of abuse. Any kind of childhood abuse experience seemed to have a greater effect on the female portion of the respondents in comparison to the males. Hence, to treat anxiety and panic disorders, childhood maltreatment and other mental illnesses like PTSD and depression should be considered by healthcare professionals to ensure optimal care. Furthermore, interventions targeting those issues need to be developed.

Study protocol: Hypersexual and hyposexual behavior among adults diagnosed with alcohol- and substance use disorders-Associations between traumatic experiences and problematic sexual behavior.

Hypersexual and hyposexual behaviors are common concomitant of substance use disorders (SUD). On the one hand, the regular consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs can lead to hypersexual or hyposexual behavior due to its effects on the organism; on the other hand, the use of psychotropic substances is also used as a coping strategy concerning already existing sexual impairments. The aforementioned disorders show similarities in terms of their etiology, as traumatic experiences get special attention as potential risk factors for the development of addictions, hypersexual, and hyposexual behavior. The study aims to explore the association between SUD characteristics and hypersexual/hyposexual behavior, and a potential moderating effect of early traumatic life events by answering the following research questions: (1) Do people with SUD differ from a sample of people with other psychiatric disorders regarding hypersexual and hyposexual behavior? (2) What are the associations between the presence of sexual problems and different characteristics of the SUD (e.g., mono vs. polysubstance use, type of addictive substance, intensity of the disorder)? (3) What influence do traumatic experiences in childhood and adolescence have on the existence of sexual disorders among adults with a diagnosed SUD? The target group of this cross-sectional ex-post-facto study comprises adults diagnosed with an alcohol- and/or substance use disorder. Data will be collected with an online survey, which will be promoted via several support and networking services for people diagnosed with SUD. Two control groups will be surveyed, one consisting of people with other psychiatric disorders than SUD and traumatic experiences, and one healthy group. Relations between the dependent variables (hypersexual and hyposexual behavior) and independent variables (sociodemographic information, medical and psychiatric status, intensity of the prevalent SUD, traumatic experiences, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder) will be initially calculated via correlations and linear regression. Risk factors will be identified via multivariate regression. Gaining relevant knowledge promises new perspectives for prevention, diagnosis, case conception, and therapy of SUDs as well as problematic sexual behaviors. The results can provide more information about the importance of psychosexual impairments regarding the development and maintenance of SUDs.

The associations among childhood trauma, loneliness, mental health symptoms, and indicators of social exclusion in adulthood: A UK Biobank study.

Childhood trauma has been associated with adult psychosocial outcomes linked to social exclusion. However, the strength of these associations in the general population is unknown. The emergence of the UK Biobank, with rich phenotypic characterization of the adult population, affords the exploration of the childhood determinants of adult psychopathology with greater statistical power. The current study aims to explore (1) the associations between childhood trauma and social exclusion in adulthood and (2) the role that self-reported loneliness and symptoms of distress play in the associations. This study was an analysis of 87,545 participants (mean [±SD] age=55.68 [7.78], 55.0% female, 97.4% White) enrolled in the UK Biobank. Childhood trauma was determined by the five-item Childhood Trauma Screener. Current loneliness and symptoms of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7) and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) were also entered in analyses. Outcomes were "limited social participation," "area deprivation," "individual deprivation," and "social exclusion" from a previously determined dimensional measure of social exclusion in the UK Biobank. Hierarchical multiple regression models indicated small associations between childhood trauma and social exclusion outcomes, explaining between 1.5% and 5.0% of the variance. Associations weakened but remained significant when loneliness, anxiety, and depression were entered in the models; however, anxiety symptoms demonstrated a negative association with "individual deprivation" and "social exclusion" in the final models. Depression was most strongly associated with "individual deprivation," "area deprivation," and "social exclusion" followed by childhood trauma. Loneliness was most strongly associated with "limited social participation." Experiences of childhood trauma can increase the propensity for adulthood social exclusion. Loneliness and symptoms of depression attenuate but do not eliminate these associations. Anxiety symptoms have a potentially protective effect on the development of "individual deprivation." Findings add to the growing body of literature advocating for trauma-informed approaches in a variety of settings to help ameliorate the effects of childhood trauma on adult psychosocial outcomes. Further research, however, is required.