History Of Childhood Abuse Research Articles

Childhood maltreatment and emotion regulation in everyday life: an experience sampling study

Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for psychopathology, and increasing evidence suggests that emotion regulation is one of the underlying mechanisms. However, most of this evidence comes from single assessments of habitual emotion regulation, which may not overlap with spontaneous emotion regulation in daily life and which fail to account for within-individual variability in emotion regulation across multiple contexts. In the present study, we investigated the relation between history of childhood maltreatment, positive and negative affect, and multiple dimensions of spontaneous emotion regulation (strategy use, emotion regulation goals, emotion regulation success and effort) in everyday life, using experience sampling method (3 assessments/day, for 10 consecutive days), in a sample of healthy volunteers (N = 118). Multilevel modeling results indicated that childhood maltreatment was associated with lower positive affect and higher negative affect. Childhood maltreatment was also related to lower use of reappraisal and savoring (but not suppression, rumination and distraction), reduced emotion regulation success (but not effort), as well as lower levels of and higher within-individual variability of hedonic (but not instrumental) emotion regulation goals. These results provide ecological evidence for multiple differences in emotion regulation in individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment.

Dying to die: New micro and macro evidence that suicide terrorists are suicidal

AbstractThe self‐sacrifice of suicide terrorists is subject to sophisticated models of altruistic sacrifice. Yet, a simpler account is that it reflects common suicidal tendencies. This paper offers new micro and macro evidence supportive of this hypothesis. At the micro level, the paper compares a sample of suicide and non‐suicide terrorists in the United States from 1948 to 2017. Results indicate that suicide terrorists are more likely to display various established suicidal risk factors including history of child abuse, absent parent/s, and relationship troubles. Results from Bayesian Model Averaging indicate that suicide risk factors outperform other individual factors (e.g., ideology and lone‐actor terrorism) in explaining suicide terrorism. At the macro level, the paper takes advantage of the cross‐national variations in suicidal tendencies to explain the incidence of suicide and non‐suicide terrorist attacks worldwide from 1991 to 2014. Results reveal that countries with higher share of deaths from suicide display higher incidences of suicide attacks but similar incidences of non‐suicide attacks. However, other contextual factors such as the share of Muslims also predict the incidence of suicide terrorism. The decision of some terrorists to sacrifice their life may well have been subject to over‐theorization.

Feasibility and Acceptability of Group Compassion-Focused Therapy to Treat the Consequences of Childhood Maltreatment in People With Psychiatric Disorders in France.

Childhood maltreatment contributes to the development of psychiatric disorders. Shame appears to be an important mediating factor. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) targets shame and seems relevant for adults with hard-to-treat psychiatric disorders associated with childhood maltreatment. Nevertheless, few studies have examined the feasibility and relevance of group CFT for this population and none in a French routine care setting. The aim of our study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of group CFT for psychiatric disorders associated with childhood maltreatment. Eight adult patients with a history of childhood maltreatment participated in the 12-session group CFT. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed via a standardized satisfaction questionnaire, dropout rates, and attendance. Clinical benefits were assessed via changes in scores on scales of self-compassion, shame, and psychopathological dimensions. Adherence to therapy (75%) and attendance (88.3%) were high, and all participants reported high satisfaction. Posttreatment, self-compassion significantly increased (p = 0.016), and depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic scores decreased. Our study is the first to show that transdiagnostic group CFT (difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders associated with a history of child maltreatment) is feasible in a French routine care setting. Changes in clinical scale scores after the intervention suggest the clinical value of the intervention and encourage further research of its effectiveness.

Unpacking the effects of child maltreatment subtypes on emotional competence in emerging adults.

Child maltreatment is often studied as a general category or individually as a subtype, but maltreatment subtypes are rarely studied simultaneously. Despite a breadth of research in the effects of child maltreatment on emotional competence, discrepant findings emerge when child maltreatment subtypes are explored. The present study aims to better understand the differential effects of childhood maltreatment subtypes on facets of emotion regulation and the recognition of specific emotions. A sample of 573 emerging adults (87% female) aged 18-25 was recruited to complete an online survey that asked about child maltreatment history, difficulty with emotion regulation, and involved an emotion recognition task. Path analyses indicated that emotional maltreatment had a global effect on the facets of emotion regulation and the recognition of negatively valanced emotions (anger, fear, and sadness). Neglect predicted difficulties with managing impulsive behavior; sexual abuse predicted difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior. Physical abuse was associated with poorer recognition of fear. Multigroup analysis suggested that patterns did not differ between clinically distressed and nondistressed participants. These results highlight the importance of including a standard set of child maltreatment subtypes in prediction models of emotional competence to avoid the misattribution or overestimation of the effects of child maltreatment subtype on emotional competence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Child maltreatment and alexithymia: A meta-analytic review.

Alexithymia refers to difficulties identifying and describing one's emotions. Growing evidence suggests that alexithymia is a key transdiagnostic risk factor. Despite its clinical importance, the etiology of alexithymia is largely unknown. The present study employs meta-analytic methods to summarize findings on the role of one hypothesized antecedent of adult alexithymia, namely child maltreatment. We obtained effect size estimates from 99 independent samples reported in 78 unique sources that reported both child maltreatment history and adult levels of alexithymia. These studies involved a total of 36,141 participants. Using correlation coefficients as our effect size index, we found that child maltreatment was positively related to overall adult alexithymia (r = .23 [.19, .27]). Notably, emotional abuse (r = .18 [.13, .23]), emotional neglect (r = .21 [.16, .26]), and physical neglect (r = .18 [.15, .22]) were the strongest predictors. Effects were moderated by gender, affiliation with clinical versus nonclinical samples, and publication status. Overall results were robust to publication bias and the presence of outliers. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the complex connection between different types of child maltreatment and alexithymia, providing greater insight into the early environmental influences on alexithymia. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The collective impact of childhood abuse, psychache, and interpersonal needs on suicidal ideation among individuals with bipolar disorder: A discriminant analysis

BackgroundSuicide is one of the ten leading causes of death in the United States. Childhood abuse, psychache (intense emotional pain), and interpersonal needs are widely known to be associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, only a limited number of studies investigate whether these variables, when analyzed collectively, are able to distinguish between a group of individuals who report suicidal ideation and those who deny such thoughts. Participants and settingData were collected from individuals (N =177) with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder participating in an intensive outpatient program that provides mental health care to indigent, mostly minority patients in Southeast United States. MethodsThe dependent variable was item number 9 on the Beck Depression Inventory that asks about any suicidal thoughts in the past two weeks. We utilized discriminant analysis to test whether childhood abuse, interpersonal needs, and psychache were collectively able to accurately identify group membership of the study participants. ResultsThe discriminant model included six independent variables: three different types of childhood abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual), interpersonal needs (perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness), and psychache. Results revealed that the model was able to correctly classify group membership in 75% of the individuals in the study. ConclusionIn context of bipolar disorder, history of childhood abuse (particularly sexual and emotional abuse), intense psychache, and greater perceived thwarted belongingness and burdensomeness put an individual at a higher risk of suicidal ideation. Gaining insight into the interactions among these variables may lead to formulating early interventions to prevent suicide in patients reporting this constellation of symptoms.

The interaction of the oxytocin receptor gene and child abuse subtypes on social cognition in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder type I.

Most studies on cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder have neglected the role of early stress, despite the high frequency of childhood maltreatment in this clinical group. The aim of this study was to establish a connection between a history of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in childhood and social cognition (SC) in patients with bipolar disorder type I (BD-I) in euthymia, and to test a possible moderating effect of the single nucleotide polymorphism rs53576 in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR). One hundred and one participants were included in this study. History of child abuse was evaluated using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form. Cognitive functioning was appraised using The Awareness of Social Inference Test (social cognition). The interaction effect between the independent variables OXTR rs53576 (AA/AG and GG) and the absence or presence of any one type of child maltreatment or a combination of types was analyzed using a generalized linear model regression. BD-I patients who had been victims of physical and emotional abuse in childhood and were carriers of the GG genotype at OXTR rs53576 displayed greater SC alterations, specifically in emotion recognition. This gene-environment interaction finding suggests a differential susceptibility model of a genetic variants that can be plausibly associated with SC functioning and might help to identify at-risk clinical subgroups within a diagnostic category. Future research aimed at testing the interlevel impact of early stress constitutes an ethical-clinical duty given the high rates of childhood maltreatment reported in BD-I patients.

The effect of childhood maltreatment on adult survivors' parental reflective function, and attachment of their children: A systematic review.

Parental reflective function (PRF) is a candidate mechanism in the transmission of intergenerational trauma. This systematic review examined (1) the association between parental history of childhood maltreatment and PRF, (2) how PRF relates to attachment in children of parent survivors, and (3) whether PRF moderates the association between parental maltreatment history and child attachment. Ten databases were searched (from inception to 10th November 2021). Inclusion criteria were primary study, quantitative, parent participants, measures of childhood maltreatment, and postnatal PRF. Exclusion criteria were qualitative, intervention follow-up, gray literature, or a review study. Risk of bias was assessed using recommended tools. Data were narratively synthesized. One-thousand-and-two articles were retrieved, of which eleven met inclusion criteria (N = 974 participants). Four studies found a significant association between parental childhood maltreatment and disrupted PRF, six did not, one found mixed results. One study reported the association between childhood maltreatment and attachment (nonsignificant results). There is no clear evidence PRF is routinely disrupted in parent survivors, though there is high heterogeneity in studies. Future research should standardize design to better understand whether PRF is a candidate mechanism in intergenerational trauma. PROSPERO CRD42020223594.

131. Sleep Patterns and Biomarkers of Stress Among Women With a History of Sexual Abuse in Childhood

131. Sleep Patterns and Biomarkers of Stress Among Women With a History of Sexual Abuse in Childhood

T-cell subset phenotypes in patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia with history of childhood maltreatment

T-cell subset phenotypes in patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia with history of childhood maltreatment

Frequency and correlates of lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among consecutively hospitalized youth with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: results from a retrospective chart review

BackgroundYouth with eating disorders (EDs) face an increased risk of a premature suicide death. Precursors of completed suicide are suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, which need to be well understood to prevent suicide. However, epidemiological data on the lifetime prevalence and clinical correlates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts (i.e., “suicidality”) are lacking for the vulnerable group of inpatient ED youth.MethodsThis retrospective chart review was conducted at a psychiatric child and adolescent inpatient department, covering a 25-year period. Consecutively hospitalized youth with an ICD-10 diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN), restricting type (AN-R), binge-purging type (AN-BP), and bulimia nervosa (BN) were included. Data extraction and coding were standardized with trained raters extracting information from patient records according to a procedural manual and using a piloted data extraction template. The lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts was calculated for each ED subgroup, and clinical correlates of suicidality were analyzed via multivariable regression analyses.ResultsIn the sample of 382 inpatients aged 9–18 years (median age = 15.6, females = 97.1%; AN-R: n = 242, BN: n = 84, AN-BP: n = 56), 30.6% of patients had lifetime suicidal ideation (BN:52.4% ≈ AN-BP:44.6% > AN-R:19.8%, χ2(2,382) = 37.2, p < 0.001, Φ = 0.31), and 3.4% of patients reported a history of suicide attempts (AN-BP:8.9% ≈ BN:4.8% > AN-R:1.7%, χ2(2,382) = 7.9, p = 0.019, Φ = 0.14). Independent clinical correlates of suicidality were i) for AN-R a higher number of psychiatric comorbidities (OR = 3.02 [1.90, 4.81], p < 0.001), and body weight < 1st BMI percentile at hospital admission (OR = 1.25 [1.07,1.47], p = 0.005) (r2 = 0.20); ii) for AN-BP patients a higher number of psychiatric comorbidities (OR = 3.68 [1.50, 9.04], p = 0.004) and history of childhood abuse (OR = 0.16 [0.03, 0.96], p = 0.045) (r2 = 0.36), and iii) for BN patients a higher prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI)(OR = 3.06 [1.37, 6.83], p = 0.006) (r2 = 0.13).ConclusionsAbout half of youth inpatients with AN-BP and BN had lifetime suicidal ideation, and one-tenth of patients with AN-BP had attempted suicide. Treatment programs need to address specific clinical correlates of suicidality, namely, low body weight, psychiatric comorbidities, history of childhood abuse, and NSSI.Trial registrationThis study was not a clinical trial but a retrospective chart review based on routinely assessed clinical parameters. The study includes data from human participants; however: (1) no intervention and no prospective assignment to interventions were performed, and (2) no evaluation of intervention in participants was accomplished.

The influence of childhood maltreatment on trait depression in patients with major depressive disorder: A moderated mediation model of rumination and mindful attention awareness

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. Individuals who were exposed to childhood maltreatment might be an especially vulnerable group and were more likely to meet the diagnostic criteria for depression than those who were not. Trait depression refers to a personality trait predisposition to depression, expressed as the frequency of symptoms rather than a transient depressive mood state. Clarifying the relationship between childhood maltreatment and trait depression in patients with MDD has therefore become an important field of research. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS), State-Trait Depression Scale (ST-DEP), and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) were used as research instruments. SPSS 23.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis and examined the moderated mediation models. A total of 288 patients with MDD were included in this study. After standardization of the variables, the model revealed childhood maltreatment was positively associated with trait depression (β = 0.215, p < 0.001) and that rumination partially mediated the effect between childhood trauma and trait depression. Mindfulness moderated the association between rumination and trait depression in depressed patients (β = 0.171, p < 0.001). Simple slope tests showed that rumination significantly predicted trait depression in patients with high levels of mindfulness (bsimple = 0.460, p < 0.001, 95%CI = [0.339, 0.581]), while this predictive effect was not significant in patients with low levels (bsimple = 0.119, p = 0.097, 95%CI = [−0.022, 0.261]). After adding mediating variables, we found that the negative impact of childhood maltreatment on trait depression was both directly and indirectly through the patients' own ruminative levels. However, mindfulness performed a critical moderating role in the overall mediating model, aggravating the negative impact of childhood maltreatment on trait depression. There are several limitations in this study: the history of childhood maltreatment was reviewed and reported; the MAAS was a single-dimensional questionnaire that fails to measure the content of other mindfulness factors; cross-sectional data could not be used to infer the causal relationship between variables.

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.

Adults with a child maltreatment history: Narratives describing individual strengths that promote positive wellbeing

BackgroundChild maltreatment often has negative impacts, but some individuals have strengths that lead to better outcomes. ObjectiveDescribe the narratives of adults who experienced childhood maltreatment, all of whom had positive psychosocial wellbeing at average age 18 years. Participants and settingA purposive sample of 21 adults (mean age 27.8 years SD = 1.0) who were part of a longitudinal study on the effects of childhood maltreatment. The sample was self-described as 85.7 % female, 14.3 % male, 42.9 % Black, 33.3 % Latinx, 19.0 % White, and 4.8 % multiracial. MethodsThis descriptive qualitative study, which is part of a sequential mixed method study, used semi-structured interviews and a narrative analysis approach. Four coders completed: (1) initial reading of sample interviews (2) generating codes independently and discussion, (3) creating a codebook, (4) reviewing 10–11 transcripts each (5) reconvening to discuss/resolve differences in coding, (6) identifying themes. ResultsThere were four themes. The first theme was seeing oneself in a good light, highlighting self-worth and helper roles. The second theme, moving forward, included letting go of their past and a future orientation. Coping with life, the third theme, included boundaries for people around them, routines, and self-sufficiency. Meaning making, the fourth theme, included insights on the effect of their maltreatment and foster care, and reflections on appreciating life and adapting to changing circumstances. ConclusionsFindings describe varied strengths that promote positive functioning after childhood maltreatment. Study themes highlight how these strengths allow adults to make meaning of their experiences and move forward successfully in life.

Depression, cardiometabolic disease, and their co-occurrence after childhood maltreatment: an individual participant data meta-analysis including over 200,000 participants

BackgroundChildhood maltreatment is associated with depression and cardiometabolic disease in adulthood. However, the relationships with these two diseases have so far only been evaluated in different samples and with different methodology. Thus, it remains unknown how the effect sizes magnitudes for depression and cardiometabolic disease compare with each other and whether childhood maltreatment is especially associated with the co-occurrence (“comorbidity”) of depression and cardiometabolic disease. This pooled analysis examined the association of childhood maltreatment with depression, cardiometabolic disease, and their comorbidity in adulthood.MethodsWe carried out an individual participant data meta-analysis on 13 international observational studies (N = 217,929). Childhood maltreatment comprised self-reports of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse before 18 years. Presence of depression was established with clinical interviews or validated symptom scales and presence of cardiometabolic disease with self-reported diagnoses. In included studies, binomial and multinomial logistic regressions estimated sociodemographic-adjusted associations of childhood maltreatment with depression, cardiometabolic disease, and their comorbidity. We then additionally adjusted these associations for lifestyle factors (smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity). Finally, random-effects models were used to pool these estimates across studies and examined differences in associations across sex and maltreatment types.ResultsChildhood maltreatment was associated with progressively higher odds of cardiometabolic disease without depression (OR [95% CI] = 1.27 [1.18; 1.37]), depression without cardiometabolic disease (OR [95% CI] = 2.68 [2.39; 3.00]), and comorbidity between both conditions (OR [95% CI] = 3.04 [2.51; 3.68]) in adulthood. Post hoc analyses showed that the association with comorbidity was stronger than with either disease alone, and the association with depression was stronger than with cardiometabolic disease. Associations remained significant after additionally adjusting for lifestyle factors, and were present in both males and females, and for all maltreatment types.ConclusionsThis meta-analysis revealed that adults with a history of childhood maltreatment suffer more often from depression and cardiometabolic disease than their non-exposed peers. These adults are also three times more likely to have comorbid depression and cardiometabolic disease. Childhood maltreatment may therefore be a clinically relevant indicator connecting poor mental and somatic health. Future research should investigate the potential benefits of early intervention in individuals with a history of maltreatment on their distal mental and somatic health (PROSPERO CRD42021239288).

Clinical and neuroendocrine correlates of childhood maltreatment history in adults with bipolar disorder

IntroductionChildhood maltreatment (CM) has been associated to an increased risk of developing bipolar disorder (BD). A role of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in mediating trauma-related risk for adult psychopathology has been suggested but scarcely investigated in BD.ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to explore the impact of childhood maltreatment on clinical features of BD and on the activity of the HPA axis.MethodsOne hundred and six patients participated in the study. On the basis of their history of childhood trauma, as assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), they were divided into a group with a history of childhood maltreatment (CM+) and a group without (CM−). Twenty-nine participants (16 with a history of childhood trauma and 13 without) underwent the cortisol awakening response (CAR) test. Saliva cortisol concentrations were determined by an enzyme immunoassay method, using a commercially available ELISA kit.ResultsAccording to CTQ, 62 had a history of childhood maltreatment and 44 had not. CM was significantly more frequent in females than males. CM+ patients showed significant higher body mass index (p = .01), number of suicide attempts (p = .03), and more severe mania symptoms (p = .01) than CM− ones. Significant associations between lifetime suicide attempts and any type of childhood maltreatment (OR = 2.79; CI = 1.01-7.73) and between emotional abuse and the presence of psychotic symptoms (OR = 2.74, CI = 1.11-6.74) or mixed mood episodes were found (OR = 2.62, CI = 1.07-6.43). Moreover, CM+ individuals with BD exhibited a significantly reduced CAR with respect to CM− ones.ConclusionsOur results add to literature findings showing a worse clinical course in BD patients with a history of childhood maltreatment and show for the first time that childhood trauma exposure is associated to impaired CAR in adults with BD.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Neurobiological effects of early trauma exposure in people with eating disorders: implications for treatment

AbstractPeople with eating disorders (EDs) exhibit a prevalence of childhood maltreatment higher than general population and, as for other psychiatric conditions, a history of childhood maltreatment in the context of EDs has been found associated with an earlier age at onset, a greater clinical severity, a more frequent comorbidity with other psychiatric conditions and a poorer treatment response . Neuroendocrine modifications as well as a heightened biological and emotional vulnerability to acute social stressor exposure and cortical measures alterations have been reported in people with EDs and history of childhood maltreatment. This evidence suggests the possibility to identify a “maltreated ecophenotype” also in people affected by EDs which recommends grouping individuals affected by the same psychiatric condition into subgroups characterized by different clinical and biological correlates in order to tailor treatements.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Impact of Childhood Adversity, as Early Life Distress, on Cytokine Alterations in Schizophrenia.

Even though inflammation theory has been introduced in the pathophysiology of psychosis almost a century ago, many of its aspects have remained unelucidated. Numerous studies have shown cytokine dysregulation in schizophrenia and a predominance of pro-inflammatory cytokines, but on another side, various cytokines in a pro-inflammatory group have different trends in all subtypes of schizophrenia. Alterations are also present in anti-inflammatory and regulatory cytokines, but findings are still not consistent. On the other hand, it is well known that abuse and neglect in childhood may be predictors of psychotic disorders, and childhood adversity is also associated with alterations of the immune and inflammatory response (through various mechanisms including HPA dysregulation as well). This review aims to analyze conducted studies and elucidate the link between childhood abuse, schizophrenia, and cytokine alterations. Putting together this complex psycho-immunological puzzle for the subgroup of schizophrenia-diagnosed patients with distinct immunological abnormalities and a history of childhood abuse can help us to answer the question about the future treatment of these patients.

Intergenerational transmission of childhood maltreatment and eating disorder behaviors: Shedding light on the mother-daughter dyad and grandmother-mother-daughter triad

IntroductionPrevious studies have established a relation between childhood maltreatment and eating disorder behaviors. However, this pattern of relations has not yet been studied within the nuclear family interactions.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine a model illuminating the transgenerational mechanism underlying the association between childhood maltreatment and eating disorder behaviors.MethodsOne-hundred-sixty-eight Israeli mothers and their young-adult-daughters (discovery sample) and 143 Israeli grandmother-mother-daughter triads (replication sample) filled out a battery of questionnaires assessing their history of childhood maltreatment and level of eating disorder behaviors.ResultsResults of structural equation modeling (SEM) in the discovery sample indicated that mothers’ childhood maltreatment was associated with daughters’ childhood maltreatment and that mothers’ eating disorder behaviors were also associated with daughters’ eating disorder behaviors. In addition, for both mothers and daughters, childhood maltreatment was associated with eating disorder behaviors. Finally, an indirect effect was found in which the relation between mothers’ childhood maltreatment and daughters’ eating disorders was mediated by mothers’ eating disorders. Partial replication was observed; grandmothers’ childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with mothers’ childhood maltreatment. Grandmothers’ eating disorder behaviors were associated with mothers’ eating disorders and mothers’ eating disorders were associated with daughters’ eating disorders. Finally, an indirect effect was found in which the association between grandmothers’ eating disorders and daughters’ eating disorders were mediated by mothers’ eating disorders.ConclusionsThese findings point to the significant contribution of the mother-daughter relationship in different aspects of the intergenerational transmission of both childhood maltreatment and eating disorder behaviors. These findings highlight the need to include a trauma-informed family-system approach in the treatment of eating disorders.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Differences and similarities between mothers’ and fathers’ risk factors for child maltreatment

BackgroundParental risk factors play an important role in child maltreatment, however, little is known about the role of fathers’ risk factors. ObjectiveThe current study aimed to compare fathers and mothers in terms of (1) the prevalence and impact of risk factors for perpetrating child maltreatment and (2) the interplay of risk factors. Participants: The Dutch sample consisted of 4090 mothers and 3973 fathers who had a newborn and received health-and developmental checks between October 2001 and November 2002. MethodsRisk factors were assessed using the Instrument for Identification of Parents at Risk for Child Abuse and Neglect (IPARAN) and child maltreatment was defined as a verified report at Child Protection Services in a period of 3-years following completion of the IPARAN. McNemar tests and network analyses were performed. ResultsResults demonstrated that the majority of assessed risk factors were related to perpetrating future child maltreatment for both fathers and mothers. In general, risk factors were more prevalent in mothers than in fathers. Inability to ask for help was the risk factor that was most prevalent for both mothers (22.4%) and fathers (22%). The risk factors worries about raising the child, unhappy during pregnancy, and losing control when angry were more strongly related to future child maltreatment in mothers compared to fathers, whereas risk factors related to their own child maltreatment in the past and experiencing a lack of support were more impactful for fathers compared to mothers. For fathers and mothers, belief in physical punishment and risk factors related to their own history of child maltreatment were most central. ConclusionsOverall, these findings underscore the importance of considering the long-lasting, intergenerational effects of child maltreatment. Intergenerational trauma may put parents at a higher risk of becoming perpetrators; our network results confirm that these risk factors deserve an important spot in prevention efforts.