Childhood Traumatic Experiences Research Articles

The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Sensory Processing and Connected Motor Planning and Skills: A Scoping Review

BackgroundTraumatic experiences during childhood have been suggested to alter the course of sensory and motor development due to the impact on neural connections within the brain at integral periods. This connection has been alluded to in literature and is discussed anecdotally by practitioners suggesting the impact is commonly seen in practice. Previous scoping reviews in this area have focused solely on the process of sensory modulation without exploring the connection to motor planning.ObjectiveThis scoping review considers what is known from the existing literature about the impact of childhood trauma on sensory processing and motor skills.MethodThis scoping review followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews (Peters et al., 2020), searching CINAHL plus, Proquest, Scopus, PsycINFO, EThOS, as well as a search of the reference lists of the articles and citation chaining, to locate both published and unpublished sources. Articles were reviewed by two reviewers independently, with a third reviewer verifying those that met inclusion criteria where there was disagreement.ResultsSix articles were identified that met the inclusion criteria for the study. While all included studies suggested the concurrence of sensory processing and motor difficulties in individuals who have experienced childhood trauma they did not conclusively make the link between the two suggesting an overall low level of evidence. Commonalities were identified in relation to the areas of the brain impacted and the nature of difficulties experienced with some suggestion of this varying according to stage of development and the specific nature of the trauma.ConclusionsThis study suggests emerging evidence in relation to the connection between trauma, sensory processing and motor development but that further empirical research is needed to verify this and inform practice.

ACEs and social risk factors in patients with opioid use disorder

ABSTRACT Background Individuals who experience childhood trauma may be more likely to misuse substances. The influence of social risk factors increases the frequency of opioid use. Understanding the linkages between childhood trauma, opioid use disorder, and social risk factors has the potential of improving poor health outcomes. The performance of specific role groups on office-based addition teams in documenting social risk factors in the electronic medical record had not been studied. Methods This retrospective chart review was conducted across three primary care practices at an urban academic medical center. Results The majority of our sample reported at least one social risk factor. Those patients with an advanced practice nurse and/or navigator on their team were more likely to report food insecurity and to have documentation related to involvement with the legal system. Recovery coaches were most likely to document the lack of housing stability as compared to other members of the team. Conclusions The incidence of documentation related to housing stability, food insecurity, and involvement with the legal system for patient’s engaged in an OBAT program should alert interprofessional clinicians on the team to assess for a history of adverse childhood experiences.

Peculiarities of the formation of early attachment models in children with traumatic experiences

This article presents the results of a meta-analysis of relevant studies published in English literature between 2010 and 2022, focusing on the definition of traumatic experience, types of psychological trauma, early attachment models, and the concept of mentalization. The search services PsycInfo, PubMed, APA Web-of-Science, and Research Gate were used to accomplish the set objectives. The influence of childhood traumatic events on the development of primary attachment models was explored. It was established that early attachment models are internal representations or perceptions formed during childhood, that determine a child’s perception of close individuals and their relationships. The effectiveness and scientifically substantiated aspects of the Neurosequential Model in Education and the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) in working with children who have experienced traumatic events are described. It was found that childhood traumatic experience affects seven main aspects of psychology: sensory development, dissociation (changes in consciousness), attachment, affect regulation, behavioral regulation, cognitive domain, self-awareness, and identity development. Each type of traumatic experience has its conditions, characteristics, mechanisms, and consequences for the formation of early attachment models in children and overall psychosocial functioning. Thus, understanding the entire spectrum of changes, including neurobiological aspects, is crucial when working with children who have experienced traumatic events and require specialized support. This analysis revealed that the quality of parent-child interaction depends on parents' ability to mentalize and their capacity to understand the child‘s inner world, which, in turn, influences the formation of early childhood attachment models. Depending on the presence or absence of traumatic experiences in a child's life, different attachment styles can be developed. The identified generalizations shed light on the pathogenesis of relationship trauma-related disorders and can be practically applied in the development and implementation of professional recommendations or programs for psychosocial support for children who have experienced traumatic events. Emphasizing the necessity for further empirical research to gain a more detailed understanding of this issue.

Religious Attendance, Childhood Trauma, and Later Life Depressive Symptoms

AbstractBackgroundOlder adults who experienced childhood trauma are at higher risk of developing depression. Depression is linked with structural changes in the brain and alterations in neurotransmitters and inflammation, placing individuals with depression at 2 times as likely to develop dementia than individuals without depression. A growing body of literature supports religion and spirituality as protective factors for mental health, yet few studies have examined the mediating role of religious attendance on the association between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in later life. Identifying modifiable protective factors to decrease depression and, potentially, dementia is needed to decrease the growing dementia burden.MethodWe analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study in 2006‐2012 to examine the mediating role of religious attendance (in 2010) on the association of childhood trauma (in 2008) with later‐life depressive symptoms (in 2012) among older adults in the U.S. (N = 3,240) aged 60 years and older. A mediation analysis was conducted while controlling for covariates: sex, race, education, age, marital status, body mass index (BMI), and cognition.ResultAged 60‐104 years, participants had a mean age of 72.7 (8.45) years, were 57.9% female, and were 82.9% White. A significant association was found for childhood trauma using 4 self‐report items and self‐reported depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiological Studies‐Depression scale (CES‐D) (β = 0.2124, 95% CI [0.31, 0.1201], p<.001). There was a partial mediating effect of self‐reported religious attendance (high vs. low) between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms (β = 0.017, 95% CI [0.03, 0.003], p<.05) adjusting for sex, race, education, age, marital status, BMI, and cognition.ConclusionReligious attendance plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and later‐life depressive symptoms in older adults. Clinical trials are needed to further examine the effect of religious attendance on depressive symptoms in older adults with a history of childhood trauma, with the potential to decrease the risk of dementia.

아동기에 겪은 트라우마 증상 대처 경험에 대한 근거이론적 탐구

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of coping with symptoms caused by childhood trauma and identify the factors that facilitate effective coping. Accordingly, two research questions were formulated. First, how do individuals who have experienced childhood trauma cope with the symptoms? Second, what factors contribute to coping with symptoms resulting from childhood trauma?
 Methods: To address these questions, the study employed a grounded theory research method and recruited participants using the theoretical sampling method. Six participants were selected, who had experienced trauma events before the age of eighteen, and they agreed to participate in the study. In-depth interviews were conducted, with one session per participant and additional interviews with three participants.
 Results: The primary data were open-coded, resulting in 113 concepts, thirty subcategories, and sixteen categories. Through axial and selective coding, the core category “the power to live the present life is more pronounced when individuals who have experienced childhood trauma are in an understanding environment” was derived.
 Conclusion: The significance of this study is as follows. First, it emphasizes the vulnerability of children to trauma events and the need for sensitivity from caregivers and adults in their surroundings. Second, it demonstrates that an understanding of trauma by individuals surrounding the child is helpfulin coping with trauma symptoms. Thus, this study highlights the necessity of understanding children'strauma and the importance of individuals in the child’s environment, including schools being sensitiveto trauma.

The relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and criminal behavior: a psychological profile of convicts serving custodial sentences. Pilot studies

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a disorder whose symptoms are mostly observed in childhood, however, their intensity may also persist into adulthood. What is more, research shows that the very nature of this disorder’s symptoms is such that adults experience numerous secondary consequences of the disorder. The purpose of the described pilot studies was to determine the connection between hyperactivity disorder and criminal behaviour as well as between hyperactivity disorder and mental functioning understood as the experience of trauma, maladaptive emotional schemas and mental health. Two groups of convicts participated in the research: first offenders and recidivists in prison aged from 21 to 65. Each group consists of 20 people (40 in total). Participants in the study were recruited from semi-open prisons in Poland (Detention Centre in Poznań, Iława Prison). The control group consisted of men without a criminal record aged from 21 to 65 – 20 men in total. The DIVA 5.0 questionnaire was used in order to recognise the intensity of ADHD symptoms. Other questionnaires used in the study were the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale IV (FACES-IV), Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30). The results of pilot studies demonstrate that ADHD materially correlates with the experience of early childhood trauma. ADHD intensity also correlates with the evaluation of family functioning – these people evaluated relationships in their families of origin more negatively than the control group. Finally, ADHD intensity correlates with the disclosure of maladaptive emotional schemas. Research results did not demonstrate a connection between the intensity of ADHD symptoms and the tendency to get into conflicts with the law.The conducted research is innovative in nature as it attempts to provide a multifactorial approach to relationship between ADHD and criminal behavior.

Associations between abnormal electroencephalogram microstates and childhood emotional abuse in adolescent depression.

Childhood traumatic experiences greatly influenced the brain network activities of patients with depression, and there is an urgent need to explore the temporal dynamics for these changes. This study aims to investigate the abnormalities of resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) microstates in eye-open state of depressed adolescents and to explore the correlations between their EEG microstates and the childhood traumatic experience. Using resting-state EEG microstate analysis, we explored the temporal dynamics of brain activity in patients with adolescent depression. This study selected 66 adolescents with depression as a patient group, and 27 healthy adolescents as a healthy control group. A modified k-means clustering algorithm was used to classify the 64-channel resting-state EEG data into different microstates. Independent sample t-tests were used to compare the microstate parameters between the 2 groups and further assciations between these parameters and childhood traumatic experience in patients were explored via using Spearman correlation. In this study, significant differences were observed in the occurrence and transition probabilities of EEG microstates between the healthy control and the patient group. Notably, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) in the occurrence of microstate A across 2 groups, exhibiting a negative correlation with the emotional abuse component within the childhood trauma scores (Spearman's rho=-0.31, P=0.013). Furthermore, patient-specific, non-random transitions from microstate B to A (Spearman's rho=-0.30, P=0.015) and C to A (Spearman's rho=-0.31, P=0.013) were inversely associated with the scores of emotional abuse factors from childhood trauma in the patient group, showing statistically significant differences when comparing to the healthy controls (P<0.05). Upon stratification into quartiles based on the emotional abuse factor scores, the occurrence of microstate A, as well as the transition rates from microstates B to A and C to A, retained statistical significance following adjustment for multiple comparisons (all P<0.05). The abnormal temporal dynamics in brain networks of adolescents with depression are linked to childhood emotional abuse. Those who have suffered severe emotional abuse may show greater impairments in the brain's visual and central executive networks. EEG microstate analysis could be a potential tool for detecting adolescent depression with severe childhood trauma.

Drug Dependency Due to Traumatic Childhood Experiences and Low Emotional Intelligence of Juvenile Felons in India

ABSTRACT Children involved with the juvenile justice system for engaging in unlawful acts are more likely than their peers of the same age to use cannabis and alcohol, which increases the likelihood of adverse behavioral outcomes and prolonged involvement with the judicial system. This study focuses on the relationship between child maltreatment, emotional intelligence and drug dependence among children in conflict with the law. The participants of the study are 130 justice-involved male juveniles in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu who are given the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ), and Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) for assessment. Interviews are conducted to obtain the data required for the study. For the statistical analysis, frequency, t-test, correlation, and regression analyses are used. Results of the study indicates that low level/lack of emotional intelligence which enhances the likelihood of juveniles being in conflict with the law and engaging in harmful, drug-dependent behavior. No significant relationship is observed between child maltreatment and drug-dependent behavior. For these juveniles, marijuana serves as the gateway drug. Peer influence and school dropout have a substantial influence on drug-dependent behavior.

Start Early: Providing Trauma-Informed, Systems-Focused Professional Development in Early Childhood Development and Learning Contexts

Adverse and traumatic childhood experiences can have profound negative health and mental health consequences across the lifespan. Prevention and early intervention strategies to mitigate such impacts and foster resilience are essential, yet extant approaches often do not consider the systemic nature of trauma exposure, particularly among communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and historic disinvestment. Addressing the impacts of trauma early in life is critical in order to mitigate their long-term effects on child development. The current project worked with a community Head Start/Early Head Start partner to adapt, deliver, and conduct a formative evaluation of Trauma-Informed Programs and Practices in Schools-Early Childhood (TIPPS-EC), a systems-focused professional development approach to creating and maintaining trauma-informed early childhood development and learning contexts serving children ages 0-5 years and their families. Training materials were designed to highlight community and systemic sources of trauma exposures; acknowledge teacher stress and burnout; and present research-based information on trauma exposure, how effects may manifest, and the impacts of trauma exposures on very young children and the adults in their lives. Data were collected to evaluate participants' responses to TIPPS-EC and solicit their input regarding implementing systems-focused, trauma-informed approaches in EC settings (n = 56 Head Start/Early Head Start professionals). Participants were satisfied with TIPPS-EC and endorsed greater knowledge of trauma-informed approaches and systemic trauma after the professional development sessions. Participants made multiple suggestions for next steps for implementing systemic approaches in EC settings. TIPPS-EC presents a framework for understanding systemic trauma exposures as they manifest in EC contexts, and for identifying systems-level strategies that can support EC professionals to help mitigate the impacts of trauma on the children and families they serve. Implications for addressing stress, burnout, and trauma impacts specifically in EC educational settings are discussed.

How first-episode psychosis patients' subjective beliefs about their childhood trauma's causal effect provide support for potential schizophrenia subtypes

BackgroundChildhood and adolescent trauma is a risk factor for developing psychosis-spectrum disorders. The current study aimed to assess how childhood trauma might predict psychosis symptomatology, and how patients' beliefs of whether trauma is the cause of psychosis might affect this association. MethodsNinety-six first-episode psychosis patients were assessed for childhood traumatic experiences with the Brief Betrayal Trauma Survey, and for psychosis symptoms with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. ResultsNon-interpersonal trauma predicted higher positive symptoms, whereas more trauma domains experienced predicted lower negative symptoms. Almost half of the participants believed trauma to be related to psychosis, were 12 times more likely to reexperience trauma through psychosis, and had higher excitative and emotional symptoms. Non-interpersonal trauma also predicted higher positive symptoms in this group. Those who did not believe trauma to be the cause of psychosis had higher negative symptoms, and a negative dose-response was found for negative and disorganised symptoms, in which more trauma domains experienced predicted lower scores. ConclusionsResults imply two traumagenic pathways to psychosis, one characterised by positive, excitative, and emotional symptoms, and one negative subtype, characterised by negative and disorganised symptoms. Clinical implications for how findings might contribute to better treatments are discussed.

The Effects of Childhood Trauma and Social Support on Individual Depression and Anxiety

As the social competition becomes more and more intensifies, anxiety and depression are very prevalence in recent society and even develop into illness. Also, families can have both positive and negative effects on children, which can affect their mental health throughout their lives. Thus, childhood trauma can be a vital factor of anxiety and depression. This paper analyzes how childhood trauma affects anxiety and depression and how social environment alleviates these emotions. Research had found that childhood trauma indirectly affects anxiety and depression. Different negative attitudes towards children will lead to different emotional dysfunctions and even brain changes in children. Moreover, the mental health of the following generation may also be impacted by a generation that experienced childhood trauma, creating a vicious cycle. There are also some ways to improve this negative emotion. When people encounter difficulties, they can relieve anxiety and depression by finding effective social support and using positive coping styles. This paper can be referred to the field of psychology counseling in order to give effective suggestions to consult. Future research could focus more on the preventing and factors of anxiety and depression.

Abstract 14586: Early Life Trauma Exposure and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Black Men and Women

Introduction: Childhood trauma is associated with a greater risk of developing hypertension in adulthood. Black individuals develop hypertension at younger ages, have more aggressive hypertension, and are more likely to experience childhood trauma compared to White individuals. Yet, the impact of childhood trauma on vascular stiffness in Black individuals remains less clarified; thus, we examined the association between childhood trauma and arterial stiffness in Black individuals. Hypothesis: Childhood trauma exposure will be associated with vascular dysfunction and this association may differ by sex. Methods: Childhood trauma exposure and vascular function were assessed in a cohort of healthy Black participants without known CVD [n=404] from a large metropolitan city. Childhood trauma was assessed using the Early Trauma Inventory short form [ETISR-SF] consisting of four-physical, sexual, emotional, and general-domains, with higher scores indicative of higher traumatic life events assessed before age 18 years. Outcomes of central augmentation index [CAIx] and carotid femoral pulse wave velocity [CfPWV] were measured as indices of wave reflections and arterial stiffness using applanation tonometry [Sphygmocor Inc.], and central pulse pressure [CPP] was calculated as the difference between the aortic systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Relationships between ETISR-SF and outcomes were assessed using multivariate-adjusted and sex-stratified linear regression models. Results: Mean age of the cohort was 53(SD=10.3), 61% women. Cumulative childhood trauma was associated with CAIx β =0.33%, 95%CI: 0.04,0.62 and CPP β =0.24mmHg, 95%CI:0.04,0.45, but not CfPWV β =-0.02m/s, 95%CI:-0.07,0.02 after adjusting for demographic, BMI, BP, lipids, glucose, clinical history, health behaviors, and depression. Significant traumaxSex interactions were identified for CAIx P=0.01 and CPP P=0.02 . Among women, childhood trauma was associated with higher CAIx β =0.32%, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.60 and CPP β =0.19 mmHG, 95%CI: -0.02, 0.41, but not in men. Conclusion: Exposure to childhood trauma is associated with measures of arterial stiffness in Black women, noting the detrimental effects of childhood trauma on future CVD risk in Black women.

Traumatic Sequelae of Exposure to Street Gangs in Young Women Placed in Residential Care During Adolescence: Examining the Dose-Response Relationship

ABSTRACT Exposure to street gangs in girls represents a complex trauma experience due to many reasons, including their complicated relationships with male gang members, repeated exposure to potentially traumatic events within the gang setting, and the developmental stage of adolescence when gang exposure typically occurs. However, research exploring the various complex trauma symptoms associated with gang exposure among girls has been sparse. Therefore, using a longitudinal design, this study examined the impact of adolescent girls’ street gang exposure on complex trauma symptoms in emerging adulthood, considering the influence of previous traumatic experiences in childhood. The study involved 110 adolescent girls admitted at two residential care centers in Montreal, Canada, between January 2008 and October 2009. It analyzed the effects of both initial occurrence and recurrence of exposure to street gangs. The findings demonstrated the harmful effects of repeated and prolonged exposure to street gangs during adolescence and emerging adulthood on a wide range of complex trauma symptoms, including post-traumatic stress, insecure attachment, externalization, and somatization. These findings emphasize the need for implementing trauma-informed approaches when addressing the challenges faced by girls who have been exposed to street gangs.

Early childhood memories of individuals convicted of sexual offences

ABSTRACT This study used innovative transdisciplinary methods to describe the nature and extent of early childhood memories recalled by 84 adults convicted of sexual offences. The timing of the memories, level of detail recalled and way memories were recollected were largely consistent with extant memory research. One important finding, however, was that more than 30% of our participants recalled particularly traumatic and distressing childhood experiences – a much higher proportion than previously observed in nonoffending samples. The extent to which these memories laid the foundation for subsequent emotional content and feature in the evolution of cognitive schemata is not yet well understood. With that in mind, we consider the implications of our findings for the event centrality in self-narratives. We recommend the inclusion of treatment modalities that maximise as yet unrecognised and undervalued narrative inclinations and story-telling abilities of a complicated population of individuals with rich lived experience that stands to benefit greatly from such approaches.

Tobacco smoking related to childhood trauma mediated by cognitive control and impulsiveness in severe mental disorders.

People with severe mental disorders (SMDs) show an increased prevalence of tobacco smoking compared to the general population. Tobacco smoking and other adult adverse health behaviors have been associated with traumatic experiences in childhood. In the present study we investigated the relationship between childhood trauma and tobacco smoking in people with SMDs, including the possible mediating role of cognitive- and personality characteristics, i.e. cognitive control, impulsiveness, affective lability and self-esteem. Enrolled in the study were 871 participants with schizophrenia (SCZ, N=484) and bipolar (BD, N=387) spectrum disorders. We assessed tobacco smoking behavior (yes/no and amount), and history of childhood trauma with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Data on cognitive control, impulsiveness, affective lability, and self-esteem were available in subsamples. We performed linear and logistic regressions, and conducted mediation analyses in PROCESS. All analyses were as standard adjusted for age, sex, and diagnostic group. Experience of one or more subtypes of childhood trauma was significantly associated with smoking tobacco in SMDs (p=0.002). There were no significant associations between childhood trauma and amount of tobacco smoking. Cognitive control and impulsiveness were significant mediators between childhood trauma and tobacco smoking. These findings indicate the experience of childhood trauma as a predisposing factor for tobacco smoking in SMDs. Cognitive control and impulsiveness were suggested as mediating mechanisms, indicating the importance of considering inhibition related self-regulatory aspects in efforts to improve health behavior in individuals with SMDs and childhood trauma.

Resilience and traumatic childhood experiences of patients with opioid use disorder

We aim to explore childhood traumatic experiences and resilience of patients with OUD and compare these variables to healthy controls. Ninety-five patients and 83 healthy controls completed the Sociodemographic Data Form, Connor Davidson Psychological Resilience Scale (CDRS), and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-33 (CTQ-33). We found that CTQ correlated negatively with CDRS in patients. T-test results showed significant differences between both groups regarding total and subscales’ scores of CTQ-except overprotection-over control. Physical neglect predicted a decrease in resilience in patients with OUD. In conclusion, childhood traumas and resilience could be essential factors during patients’ follow-up and treatment process with OUD.

Personality Disorders and Attachment Trauma in Adolescent Patients with Psychiatric Disorders.

This study examined how personality disorders (PD) differ with respect to gender, attachment status and traumatic childhood experiences in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. In particular, we investigated attachment-related traumatic material underlying adolescent PD. Our sample consisted of 175 inpatient adolescents aged 14 to 18 years (77% female, Mage = 15.13, SD = 1.35; 23% male, Mage =14.85, SD = 1.41). Thirty-nine patients (22%) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for a PD according to the SCID-II PD: 51% avoidant, 13% obsessive-compulsive, 13% antisocial, 19% borderline, 2% paranoid and 2% histrionic. In the total sample, eighty-three (47%) of our inpatients were classified with an unresolved attachment status using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP). We did not find any significant gender differences for patients with and without a PD. Our results revealed a higher percentage of unresolved attachment status in patients with a PD. The in-depth analysis of the total sample showed that patients with a PD demonstrated more traumatic material in their attachment interviews indicating a greater severity of attachment trauma. Furthermore, patients with a PD reported higher scores on emotional and physical neglect. Intervention strategies targeting traumatic attachment-related themes might be useful to treat adolescents with PD.

Use of Metaphor as an Explanation Tool in Adverse Childhood Experiences Simulation Training.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have profound implications for adult health. Health care practitioners need effective communication tools for trauma-sensitive inquiries with patients. This study aimed to describe characteristics of effective metaphor use by health care trainees when discussing ACEs and health with adult patients, and to provide example metaphors for clinicians to use to sensitively address ACEs. Trainees engaged in a videorecorded simulation as part of a model to teach health care practitioners communication skills related to ACEs. Videos were identified in which the trainee used a metaphor to help explain ACEs during the encounter. Encounter segments that used metaphors were transcribed and metaphor type, duration, and recurrence were coded using a standardized rubric. Each metaphor was scored for effectiveness and basic statistical analysis was conducted. Of the 122 videos reviewed, 24 types of metaphors were used, with the most common being the overloaded backpack (n = 24). Mean metaphor duration was 37 s (SD = 24 s). Metaphors rated as effective were shorter and less variable in duration (31.8 s, SD = 14.7 s) than those rated as ineffective (39 s, SD = 34 s). No one metaphor performed significantly better and most of the metaphors were evaluated as being adequate or effective. Literary devices like metaphors may be efficient and effective explanatory tools to improve clinician communication skills and patient understanding in addressing sensitive topics, such as ACEs. Minimal time investment is required to employ metaphors in ACEs discussions. The authors found no single metaphor that to be clearly superior, indicating that patient-centered metaphor use may improve communication between clinicians and patients who experienced childhood trauma.

Temperament, but not childhood trauma, distinguishes borderline personality disorder from bipolar disorder and ADHD

Background The aim of this study was to investigate if temperament and experience of childhood trauma differed between young psychiatric patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), bipolar disorder (BD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods Diagnoses were based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Axis I and Axis II. Temperament was assessed by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and childhood trauma by the Early Trauma Inventory-Self Report-Short Form (ETI-SR-SF). Temperament and childhood trauma were compared between the BPD group (n = 19) and the non-BPD group (BD/ADHD) (n = 95). Interactions between trauma and temperament were evaluated using a logistic regression model with a BPD diagnosis as outcome variable. Results Participants in the BPD group showed higher novelty seeking (NS) and harm avoidance (HA). Traumatic experiences in childhood were common but the BPD group differed very little from the others in this regard. The interaction between temperament and trauma had low explanatory power for a BPD diagnosis in this sample. Conclusion Temperament might be useful to distinguish BPD when symptoms of impulsivity and affective instability are evaluated in psychiatric patients. The results from the interaction analysis support the multifactorial background to BPD.

Anhedonia mediates the relationships between childhood trauma and symptom severity of PTSD and depression, but not of social anxiety

BackgroundChildhood trauma is a risk factor for developing multiple forms of psychopathology, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety. Yet, the mechanisms linking childhood trauma and these psychopathologies remain less clear. ObjectiveHere we examined whether anhedonia, a reduced ability to experience pleasure, may mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and symptom severity of depression, PTSD, and social anxiety. MethodsA total of 230 trauma-exposed participants aged 18–75 were assessed for lifetime trauma exposure, including general and childhood traumatic events, anhedonia, and symptoms of depression, PTSD, and social anxiety. ResultsControlling for age, gender, and general lifetime trauma exposure, mediation analyses revealed a significant mediation effect of anhedonia for the relationship between childhood trauma and symptom severity of depression and PTSD, but not social anxiety. To better understand these significant mediation effects, we repeated the analyses separately for childhood abuse and neglect, and then for the various subtypes of each type of childhood trauma. Results showed a significant mediation effect of anhedonia on symptoms of both depression and PTSD in individuals who reported high emotional and sexual abuse levels. F Anhedonia was also found to mediate the relationship between both emotional and physical neglect and symptoms of depression and PTSD. ConclusionThese findings refine our understanding of the ways in which childhood traumatic experiences may be associated with different mental health problems by increasing anhedonia. Anhedonia may be an important treatment target in survivors of childhood abuse and neglect.