Self-reported Childhood Trauma Research Articles

Structural brain connectivity does not associate with childhood trauma in individuals with schizophrenia

BackgroundSchizophrenia is a brain dysconnectivity disorder. However, it is not well understood whether the experience of childhood trauma (CT) affects dysconnectivity in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). Using a network-based approach, we examined whether self-reported CT would explain additional variance compared to whole-brain topology and structural connectivity changes in SZ versus healthy controls (HC). Material and methodsCT was assessed in 51 SZ (mean age ± standard deviation 44 ± 11 years) and 140 HC (34.0 ± 12 years). Structural brain networks were constructed from T1-weighted MR and diffusion-MRI scans using non-tensor based tractography. Group differences in whole-brain topology and permutation-based statistics were examined and corrected for age and sex. ResultsSZ showed reductions in efficiency, strength, clustering and density (p <0.01) as well as increases in path length (F(range) = 4.71-18.1, p <0.03) when compared to HC. We also observed hypoconnectivity in a subnetwork of frontotemporal, frontoparietal and occipital regions in SZ relative to HC (T > 4.0, p <0.001). However, we did not find that high CT levels were related to structural network differences or structural connectivity changes in SZ. ConclusionsCT did not impact on topology or subnetwork connectivity changes in SZ. High CT levels were also not associated with any differences in network organisation irrespective of diagnosis. However, our findings confirm that SZ showed both network-level reductions and increases in a subnetwork. These findings suggest that the patterns of neuroanatomical dysconnectivity in established schizophrenia may not be influenced by CT. Future studies are needed to investigate the association between CT and structural dysconnectivity in schizophrenia.

The association between psychopathology, childhood trauma, and emotion processing.

Childhood trauma is highly prevalent and can have a negative impact on the development of socioemotional processes resulting in a higher vulnerability for mental disorders in adulthood. Previous studies have associated the severity of childhood trauma with deficits in social functioning, such as a negative attention bias, suggesting altered social information processing as a mechanism underlying the association between childhood trauma and transdiagnostic psychopathologies. In a cross-sectional setup with a total of 103 participants (26 with major depressive disorder, MDD; 24 with posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD; 22 with somatic symptom disorder, SDD; and 31 healthy volunteers, HV), this study applied eye tracking in an emotion recognition paradigm. Reaction times, accuracy, and gaze behavior were analyzed for 4 different facial expressions as a function of self-reported childhood trauma and diagnosis. The aim was to investigate to what extent emotion processing is associated with (a) childhood trauma, (b) psychopathology, and (c) respective interacting effects. Patients showed higher reaction times and error rates overall in classifying emotions than HVs, especially for the recognition of anger and fear. Individuals with a diagnosis of PTSD and MDD were particularly slow in their response to these emotions. Higher scores of reported childhood trauma were associated with faster responses for classifying anger and fear and slower initiation of eye movements for SSD, MDD, and HVs for anger. These findings indicate that childhood trauma may contribute to attentional and information-processing biases relevant for social interaction. Identifying individual social deficits offers implications for tailored therapeutic interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Dissociative Experiences, Borderline Personality Disorder Features, and Childhood Trauma: Generating Hypotheses from Data-Driven Network Analysis in an International Sample

ABSTRACT Dissociation is a multifaceted phenomenon that occurs in various mental disorders, including borderline personality disorder (BPD), but also in non-clinical populations. Severity of childhood trauma (abuse, neglect) plays an important role in the development of dissociation and BPD. However, the complex interplay of different dissociative symptoms, BPD features, and self-reported childhood trauma experiences is not yet fully understood. Graph-theoretical network analysis can help to better understand such multivariate interrelations. Objective: This study aimed to investigate associations between self-reported dissociation, BPD features, and childhood trauma experiences using a graph-theoretical approach. Data was collected online via international mental health platforms and research sites. N = 921 individuals (77.4% female) were included; 40% reported pathological levels of dissociation. Variables were assessed with established psychometric scales (Dissociative Experiences Scale; Personality Assessment Inventory Borderline Features Scale; Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and analyzed within a partial correlation network. Positive bivariate correlations between all variables were found. When accounting for their mutual influence on each other, dissociation was predominantly connected to BPD features with effect sizes between rp = .028 and rp = .126, while still showing a slight unique relationship with physical neglect (rp = .044). Findings suggest close associations between dissociative experiences and BPD features. While childhood trauma plays an important role in the development of dissociation and BPD, its recall may not fully explain their current co-occurrence. Prospective studies are needed to shed more light on causal pathways to better understand which factors contribute to dissociation and its link to BPD (features).

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ): Greek translation and psychometric validation in general and clinical population.

Exposure to childhood trauma experiences shows a high prevalence worldwide, with approximately two-thirds of the general population reporting traumatic experiences during childhood. The valid psychometric assessment of childhood trauma experience represents, however, a significant challenge in clinical research and practice. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form (CTQ-SF) embodies the most valid and internationally widely used tool for the retrospective assessment of traumatic experiences during childhood to date. The purpose of this study was the Greek translation of the questionnaire and its validation in both a general and clinical population. Participants completed electronically the Greek translation of the CTQ-SF, the Early Trauma Questionnaire (ETI-SR-SF), the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-40), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS- SF), the Well-Being Index (WHO-5) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) to examine psychometric properties of the questionnaire (e.g., internal consistency, concurrent, convergent and divergent validity), but also to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma exposure and psychological well-being and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The total study sample (TS) consisted of 722 adults (606 women), of which 155 declared the existence of a psychiatric diagnosis (PD) and 567 constituted the general population (GP) sample. The most common trauma types reported were emotional abuse (29.1%), emotional neglect (23.7%), and physical abuse (24.6%). The CTQ-SF questionnaire showed high levels of internal consistency based on the Cronbach α coefficient (TS = 0.92, PD = 0.92, GP = 0.92), high concurrent and convergent validity and satisfactory convergent validity. In addition, self-reported childhood trauma was highly positively correlated to negative affect and anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as negatively to psychological well-being. Our results confirm that the Greek Version of Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) is a reliable and valid tool that can be used for the retrospective assessment of traumatic childhood experiences both in the general and in the clinical adult Greek population.

1.66 Rates of Self-Reported Childhood Trauma in Youth Who Are Psychiatrically Hospitalized: Comparisons to a Population-Based Representative Community Sample

Youth who are psychiatrically admitted often underreport traumatic experiences during clinical interviews. To guide trauma-informed care (TIC) on a child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit, rates of self-reported trauma were compared to a community sample. We hypothesized that psychiatrically admitted youth will report higher rates of childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse than youth from a matched community sample, including those with clinically significant psychiatric symptoms.

The Effect on Mobbing Perception of the Childhood Trauma: A Examination on Non-Clinical Sampling

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of employees who have childhood trauma experiences on mobbing perceptions in light of the Victim Precipitation Theory. Self-reported Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was used for the collection of the data, which was developed by Berstein et al. (1994) and evaluated by Şar et al. (2012) for 20 years of abuse and neglect experiences and tested for validity and reliability. In addition, the Mobbing Perception Scale was used as a tool for the determination of traumatized employees due to being intensively targeted to mobbing developed by Leymann (1996) and adapted to Turkish by Yavuz (2007). Data from 211 participants who were active in the public or private sector for at least six months and had at least one childhood traumatic experience were included in the study. As a result of multiple regression analysis with SPSS 25 software, there was a positive and significant effect of sexual, physical and emotional abuse types of childhood trauma on the mobbing perception. Since this study will examine the impact of childhood trauma on mobbing perception, the research is important for presenting the reflection of the consequences of child abuse and neglect on working life that is part of the adult life cycle.

Reduced vagal activity in borderline personality disorder is unaffected by intranasal oxytocin administration, but predicted by the interaction between childhood trauma and attachment insecurity

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) show self-regulatory deficits, associated with reduced heart-rate variability (HRV). However, results on reduced HRV in BPD remain heterogeneous, thus encouraging the search for developmental constructs explaining this heterogeneity. The present study first examined predictors of reduced resting-state HRV in BPD, namely the interaction between self-reported adult attachment insecurity and childhood trauma. Second, we investigated if alterations in resting-state HRV are modified by intranasal oxytocin administration, as oxytocin may enhance HRV and is implicated in the interaction between childhood trauma and disturbed attachment for the pathogenesis of BPD. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 53 unmedicated women with BPD and 60 healthy controls (HC) self-administered either 24 I.U. of oxytocin or placebo and underwent a 4-min electrocardiogram. Our results replicate significantly reduced HRV in women with BPD, explained up to 16% by variations in childhood trauma and attachment insecurity. At high levels of acute attachment insecurity, higher levels of childhood trauma significantly predicted reduced HRV in BPD. However, our results do not support a significant effect of oxytocin on mean HRV, and no interaction effect emerged including childhood trauma and attachment insecurity. Our findings highlight a complex interaction between reduced vagal activity and developmental factors in BPD.

Genetic and early environmental predictors of adulthood self-reports of trauma.

Retrospective self-reports of childhood trauma are associated with a greater risk of psychopathology in adulthood than prospective measures of trauma. Heritable reporter characteristics are anticipated to account for part of this association, whereby genetic predisposition to certain traits influences both the likelihood of self-reporting trauma and of developing psychopathology. However, previous research has not considered how gene-environment correlation influences these associations. To investigate reporter characteristics associated with retrospective self-reports of childhood trauma and whether these associations are accounted for by gene-environment correlation. In 3963 unrelated individuals from the Twins Early Development Study, we tested whether polygenic scores for 21 psychiatric, cognitive, anthropometric and personality traits were associated with retrospectively self-reported childhood emotional and physical abuse. To assess the presence of gene-environment correlation, we investigated whether these associations remained after controlling for composite scores of environmental adversity across development. Retrospectively self-reported childhood trauma was associated with polygenic scores for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), body mass index (BMI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and risky behaviours. When composite scores of environmental adversity were controlled for, only associations with the polygenic scores for ASD and PTSD remained significant. Genetic predisposition to ASD and PTSD may increase liability to experiencing or interpreting events as traumatic. Associations between genetic predisposition for risky behaviour and BMI with self-reported childhood trauma may reflect gene-environment correlation. Studies of the association between retrospectively self-reported childhood trauma and later-life outcomes should consider that genetically influenced reporter characteristics may confound associations, both directly and through gene-environment correlation.

A pilot spectroscopy study of adversity in adolescents.

Background:Childhood adversity is a global health problem affecting 25–50% of children worldwide. Few prior studies have examined the underlying neurochemistry of adversity in adolescents. This cross-sectional study examined spectroscopic markers of trauma in a cohort of adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls. We hypothesized that historical adversity would have a negative relationship with spectroscopic measures of glutamate metabolites in anterior cingulate cortex.Methods:Adolescent participants (aged 13–21) underwent a semi-structured diagnostic interview and clinical assessment, which included the self-report Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), a 28-item assessment of childhood adversity. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) scans at 3 Tesla of an anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) voxel (8 cm3) encompassing both hemispheres were collected using a 2-dimensional J-averaged sequence to assess N-acetylaspartate (NAA), Glx (glutamate+glutamine) and [NAA]/[Glx] concentrations. Generalized linear models assessed the relationships between CTQ scores and metabolite levels in ACC.Results:Thirty-nine participants (17 healthy controls, 22 depressed participants) underwent 1H-MRS and completed the CTQ measures. There were decrements in [NAA]/[Glx] ratio in the ACC of participants with childhood adversity while no significant relationship between CTQ total score and any of the ACC metabolites was found in the combined sample. Exploratory results revealed a positive association between Glx levels and CTQ scores in depressed participants. Conversely the [NAA]/[Glx] ratio had a negative association with total CTQ scores in the depressed participants. Emotional Abuse Scale showed a significant negative relationship with [NAA]/[Glx] ratio in the combined sample when adjusted for depression severity.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that childhood adversity may impact brain neurochemical profiles. Further longitudinal studies should examine neurochemical correlates of childhood adversity throughout development and in populations with other psychiatric disorders.

Cytokine and Reward Circuitry Relationships in Treatment-Resistant Depression

BackgroundDepressive disorders are linked to dysfunction in reward-related behaviors and corticostriatal reward circuitry. Low-grade dysregulation of the immune system, e.g., elevations in plasma interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α, have been thought to affect corticostriatal reward circuitry. Little is presently known about the degree to which these relationships generalize to patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and/or childhood trauma history. MethodsResting-state functional connectivity between the ventral striatum (VS) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) regions and plasma inflammatory marker levels (IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α) were measured in 74 adults with TRD. Regression analyses examined associations of inflammatory markers with VS-vmPFC connectivity and the moderating effects of self-reported childhood trauma on these associations, with exploratory analyses examining trauma subtypes. ResultsIL-6 was negatively associated with VS-vmPFC connectivity (specifically for the left VS). Childhood trauma moderated the relationships between tumor necrosis factor α and VS-vmPFC connectivity (specifically for the right VS) such that greater childhood trauma severity (particularly emotional neglect) was associated with stronger cytokine-connectivity associations. ConclusionsThis study independently extends previously reported associations between IL-6 and reductions in corticostriatal connectivity to a high-priority clinical population of treatment-seeking patients with TRD and further suggests that childhood trauma moderates specific associations between cytokines and corticostriatal connectivity. These findings suggest that associations between elevated plasma cytokine levels and reduced corticostriatal connectivity are a potential pathophysiological mechanism generalizable to patients with TRD and that such associations may be affected by trauma severity.

Childhood Maltreatment and Subclinical Atherosclerosis: Findings From the General Population.

Evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment (CM) is cross-sectionally and prospectively associated with cardiovascular disease. However, its association with proxy markers of atherosclerosis has hardly been investigated. Thus, in this general population study, we examined the association of CM with carotid plaque and intima-media thickness. Adults from the general population free of any cardiovascular disease (n = 1909; mean [SD] age = 50.4 (13.6) years, 53.9% women) completed the self-report Childhood Trauma Questionnaire for the assessment of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse as well as emotional and physical neglect; in addition, an ultrasound of the carotid arteries was performed in each participant. At least one type of CM was reported by 25% of the participants. Carotid plaque was significantly more frequent in those with CM compared with those without (odds ratio = 1.47, 95% confidence interval = 1.19-1.81). Accounting for age and sex rendered it nonsignificant (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% confidence interval = 0.81-1.42). Emotional abuse and physical neglect were significantly associated with both carotid intima-media thickness and plaque occurrence, but these associations were fully explained by risk factors. Neither sexual nor physical abuse was related to proxy markers of atherosclerosis. Our findings suggest that the relationship between CM types and subclinical atherosclerosis as well as its clinical end points is complex and remains inconclusive, suggesting the need for further research.

Childhood maltreatment reports in adult seasonal affective disorder: Associations with sleep disturbances, maladaptive cognitions, and brooding

BackgroundAlthough childhood maltreatment has been studied in multiple psychopathologies, its role in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is unknown. The current study examined possible mediators of the relationship between retrospectively-reported childhood maltreatment and adult SAD symptom severity during a major depressive episode in winter. MethodsParticipants (N = 113), ages 18 to 65, completed measures of childhood maltreatment, SAD severity, sleep disturbances, ruminative brooding, and maladaptive cognitions. Mediation analyses testing the relationship between childhood maltreatment and SAD symptom severity via sleep and cognitive factors were conducted using PROCESS (Hayes, 2012). ResultsMediation analyses suggested that insomnia, hypersomnia, brooding, and seasonal maladaptive beliefs may account for the association between childhood maltreatment and SAD symptom severity. LimitationsAnalyses were cross-sectional and should be interpreted with caution. Participants completed self-report childhood trauma measure retrospectively as adults. ConclusionThe present study is the first to examine childhood maltreatment in SAD, a disorder commonly viewed with circadian etiology. Covariance between childhood maltreatment and SAD symptom severity is indirectly explained by sleep difficulties, cognitive factors, and brooding, which may suggest therapeutic targets if replicated in longitudinal or experimental manipulations of sleep and cognition.

Does Self-Reported Childhood Trauma Relate to Vocal Acoustic Measures? Preliminary Findings at Trauma Recall

Nonverbal markers of childhood trauma have been identified in the literature. Yet, the relationship between childhood trauma and the voice is still largely unexplored. We report preliminary findings from a study (N = 48) that investigated whether self-reported childhood trauma is related to acoustic measures on sustained phonation before and after childhood trauma recall. Childhood trauma and minimization/denial of trauma were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Measures of voice (fundamental frequency, related to pitch, and perturbation, or “unsteadiness” in voice sustained phonation) were obtained using voice analysis software lingWAVES. Self-reported trait and state anxiety were also measured, using the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results showed that voice fundamental frequency at baseline was related to self-reported minimization of childhood trauma. Childhood trauma and minimization of childhood trauma were significantly related to voice perturbation measures recorded after trauma recall, accounting for baseline voice measures and self-reported anxiety. These preliminary results indicate the importance of studying voice as a potential nonverbal marker of childhood trauma.

Contributions of childhood abuse and neglect to reward neural substrates in adolescence

BackgroundChildhood adverse experiences may come to bear particularly during adolescence, when neural reward systems are developing rapidly and psychopathology spikes. Despite prior work differentiating threat- (abuse) vs. deprivation- (neglect) related adversity, no research has yet identified their relative nor interactive contributions to reward neural substrates during adolescence. In the present study, we leveraged a diverse sample of adolescents with different childhood adversity profiles to examine neural responses to reward in relation to varying degrees of abuse vs. neglect. MethodsAdolescents (N = 45; 23 females; mean age = 14.9 years, SD = 1.9) completed a child-friendly monetary incentive delay task during fMRI acquisition. The self-report Childhood Trauma Questionnaire assessed childhood abuse and neglect. Whole brain ANCOVA analyses evaluated reward anticipation (reward vs. no reward expected) and feedback (hitting vs. missing the target with a reward vs. no reward) in relation to abuse and neglect dimensions. ResultsWhole-brain analyses revealed that abuse, adjusted for neglect, is associated with greater differences between task conditions (reward vs. no reward, hit vs. miss) in regions associated with threat/emotion regulation (prefrontal and temporal cortices, as well as posterior regions including fusiform and posterior cingulate/precuneus). Additionally, level of neglect modulated neural response associated with abuse in prefrontal and temporoparietal regions, such that youths with high levels of both abuse and neglect showed qualitatively different, more exaggerated neural patterns compared to youths with elevated adversity in only one dimension. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that early experiences of abuse and neglect have a long developmental reach resulting in reward-related neural alterations in adolescence. Moreover, our results bolster theoretical conceptualizations of adversity along threat and deprivation dimensions and provide evidence that “adding up” adverse life events may not be sufficient to capture the qualitatively different neural profiles produced by differing combinations of types of adversity, which may in turn necessitate different treatment approaches.

Stress reactivity as a putative mechanism linking childhood trauma with clinical outcomes in individuals at ultra-high-risk for psychosis: Findings from the EU-GEI High Risk Study.

Childhood trauma is associated with an elevated risk for psychosis, but the psychological mechanisms involved remain largely unclear. This study aimed to investigate emotional and psychotic stress reactivity in daily life as a putative mechanism linking childhood trauma and clinical outcomes in individuals at ultra-high-risk (UHR) for psychosis. Experience sampling methodology was used to measure momentary stress, affect and psychotic experiences in the daily life of N = 79 UHR individuals in the EU-GEI High Risk Study. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was used to assess self-reported childhood trauma. Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline, 1- and 2-year follow-up. The association of stress with positive (β = -0.14, p = 0.010) and negative affect (β = 0.11, p = 0.020) was modified by transition status such that stress reactivity was greater in individuals who transitioned to psychosis. Moreover, the association of stress with negative affect (β = 0.06, p = 0.019) and psychotic experiences (β = 0.05, p = 0.037) was greater in individuals exposed to high v. low levels of childhood trauma. We also found evidence that decreased positive affect in response to stress was associated with reduced functioning at 1-year follow-up (B = 6.29, p = 0.034). In addition, there was evidence that the association of childhood trauma with poor functional outcomes was mediated by stress reactivity (e.g. indirect effect: B = -2.13, p = 0.026), but no evidence that stress reactivity mediated the association between childhood trauma and transition (e.g. indirect effect: B = 0.14, p = 0.506). Emotional and psychotic stress reactivity may be potential mechanisms linking childhood trauma with clinical outcomes in UHR individuals.

Dissociative Symptoms and Self-Reported Childhood and Current Trauma in Male Incarcerated People with Borderline Personality Disorder - Results from a Small Cross-Sectional Study in Iran.

BackgroundThere is evidence that incarcerated people show higher rates of symptoms of psychopathology. In the present study, we assessed male Iranian incarcerated people with borderline personality disorders (BPD) and investigated the occurrence of past and current trauma and their associations with dissociative experiences.MethodsA total of 69 male Iranian incarcerated people (mean age: 33.76 years) diagnosed with PBD completed questionnaires covering sociodemographic information, dissociative experiences, and past and current traumatic events.ResultsParticipants reporting the occurrence of childhood trauma also reported the occurrence of adulthood trauma. Dissociation and adulthood trauma were associated in a U-shaped, non-linear fashion: Low and high adulthood trauma were associated with higher dissociation. Younger age, the presence of childhood trauma, and being single or divorced predicted adulthood trauma.ConclusionThe pattern of results suggests that both childhood and adulthood trauma are highly prevalent among male incarcerated people, while the association between adulthood trauma and dissociation appeared to be more complex. When treating male incarcerated people, a complex interplay between past and current traumas and dissociation should be considered.

Childhood Trauma History and Negative Social Experiences in College.

While there is literature documenting the association between childhood trauma and later sexual assault or interpersonal violence victimization, less is known about risk of less severe, but still negative, victimization experiences such as sexual harassment, hazing, and bullying in college. The goal of this study was to explore the association between self-reported childhood trauma (both personally experienced and witnessed) and negative social experiences in college-age adults (e.g., sexual harassment, hazing, and bullying), and the role that internalizing difficulties (i.e., depression and stress) plays in this association. A sample of 620 college-aged adults (ages 18-25) was recruited. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to investigate two models concerning direct and indirect childhood trauma experience. The models demonstrated significant positive relations between experiences of childhood trauma (both direct and indirect) and negative social experiences. Internalizing difficulties (i.e., depression and stress) mediated the relation between indirect childhood trauma and negative social experiences, but it did not significantly mediate the relation between direct childhood trauma and negative social experiences. These findings help to inform prevention efforts and have important implications for both school and community based mental health providers.

Exploring nonverbal synchrony in borderline personality disorder: A double-blind placebo-controlled study using oxytocin.

Interpersonal dysfunction is a central feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD), and the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been shown to impact patients' behaviour in numerous ways. Nonverbal signals such as the coordination of body movement (nonverbal synchrony) are associated with the success of interpersonal exchanges and could thus be influenced by features of BPD and by the administration of OT. We explored the effect of intranasal OT (inOT) on nonverbal synchrony in sixteen patients with BPD and fifteen healthy controls (CTL) randomly assigned to two double-blind clinical interviews under inOT and placebo (PL). Nonverbal synchrony was assessed by automated video-analyses of subject's and interviewer's body movement. Lagged cross-correlations were used to objectively quantify coordination in dyads. Synchrony was higher than pseudosynchrony (=synchrony expected by chance), and there was a differential effect of inOT between groups: While healthy controls displayed increased synchrony under inOT, patients with BPD showed low levels of synchrony under inOT. Additionally, patient's synchrony was negatively associated with self-reported childhood trauma. Nonverbal synchrony in clinical interviews is influenced by inOT, and this effect depends on subject's diagnosis. In line with previous research implying positive associations between nonverbal synchrony and relationship quality, inOT led to an increase of synchrony in healthy controls, but not in patients with BPD. Low levels of synchrony under inOT in patients and its association with childhood trauma suggest that additional mechanisms such as rejection sensitivity might mediate BPD patients' nonverbal behaviour. Intranasal oxytocin (inOT) attenuated nonverbal synchrony - a proxy for relationship quality - in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), while it increased nonverbal synchrony in healthy controls (CTL). Available models (rejection sensitivity; social salience) suggest that inOT may alter the way patients with BPD assess social situations, and this alteration is expressed by changes in nonverbal coordination. Patients with BPD display low levels of synchrony which are even below expected pseudosynchrony based on chance. The association between self-reported childhood trauma and lower synchrony in BPD was most evident for patient's imitative behaviour: Under inOT, patients with high scores of childhood trauma refrained from imitating their interview partners. Study limitations include small sample sizes and limited data on the psychological impact of the clinical interviews.

Childhood Trauma Predicts Cancer Treatment-Related Pain in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Childhood trauma has been linked to neuropathic pain in noncancer populations, but its relationship with cancer treatment-related neuropathic pain is unknown. This secondary data analysis of a prospective, longitudinal, observational study aimed to explore the relationship of childhood trauma experience with pain severity, pain interference, and neuropathic symptom severity (NSS) 12 months after surgery in women receiving treatment for stage 0 to III breast cancer. Women (N = 44) recruited from a comprehensive cancer center self-reported childhood trauma experience, pain severity, pain interference, NSS, co-occurring symptoms, and pain beliefs via questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to describe childhood trauma experience. Linear regression was used to model childhood trauma and other predictors on pain variables 12 months after surgery. Childhood trauma predicted pain severity and pain interference 12 months after surgery (P < .05), as did baseline pain severities and helplessness-pain catastrophizing. Age predicted only NSS. Together, the best models predicted 31.6% to 40.9% of the variance in pain severities at 12 months (P < .001). Childhood trauma exposure was a significant predictor of pain 12 months after breast cancer surgery and adjuvant treatment. Younger and helplessness-pain catastrophizing women are also at risk. Research is needed to identify preventive neuropathic pain interventions for high-risk women. Women receiving breast cancer treatment should proactively be assessed for childhood trauma history, possibly by using discreet previsit questionnaires. Childhood trauma survivors may be at high risk for poor pain outcomes and may benefit from tailored pain interventions.

Traumatic brain injury is highly associated with self-reported childhood trauma within a juvenile offender cohort

ABSTRACTPrimary objective: To identify correlates of past traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a population of young offenders.Research design: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on available data from a sample derived from the NSW Young People on Community Orders Health Survey.Procedures: Study participants were administered questionnaires to collect history relating to past TBI, childhood trauma, substance abuse, and psychological/psychiatric symptoms and underwent assessments of intellectual functioning. Information on offending history was accessed through Juvenile Justice administrative records.Outcomes and results: Analyses were undertaken on data from 788 young offenders (672 males and 116 females).A past TBI was reported in 39%. Symptoms of psychological distress were more prevalent in females. A history of TBI was associated with more symptoms on a Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, as well as higher psychological distress (K-10), and higher levels on standardized measures of anger/violence, post-traumatic stress, and substance abuse.Conclusions: The experience of early life trauma warrants further consideration as an antecedent to both childhood TBI and offending which might account for some of the previously observed association of mild TBI with subsequent offending behavior.