Social Functioning in Individuals Affected by Childhood Maltreatment: Establishing a Research Agenda to Inform Interventions.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is linked to impairments in various domains of social functioning. Here, we argue that it is critical to identify factors that underlie impaired social functioning as well as processes that mediate the beneficial health effects of positive relationships in individuals exposed to CM. Key research recommendations are presented, focusing on: (1) identifying attachment-related alterations in specific inter- and intrapersonal processes (e.g., regulation of closeness and distance) that underlie problems in broader domains of social functioning (e.g., lack of perceived social support) in individuals affected by CM; (2) identifying internal (e.g., current emotional state) and external situational factors (e.g., cultural factors, presence of close others) that modulate alterations in specific social processes; and (3) identifying mechanisms that explain the positive health effects of intact social functioning. Methodological recommendations include: (1) assessing social processes through interactive and (close to) real-life assessments inside and outside the laboratory; (2) adopting an interdisciplinary, lifespan perspective to assess social processes, using multi-method assessments; (3) establishing global research collaborations to account for cultural influences on social processes and enable replications across laboratories and countries. The proposed line of research will contribute to globally develop and refine interventions that prevent CM and further positive relationships, which - likely through buffering the effects of chronic stress and corresponding allostatic load - foster resilience and improve mental and physical health, thereby reducing personal suffering and the societal and economic costs of CM and its consequences. Interventions targeting euthymia and psychological well-being are promising therapeutic concepts in this context.

Social support and (complex) posttraumatic stress symptom severity: does gender matter?

Background: Perceived social support is an established predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to a traumatic event. Gender is an important factor that could differentiate responses to social support, yet this has been little explored. Symptoms of complex PTSD are also common following trauma but have been under-researched in this context. Large scale studies with culturally diverse samples are particularly lacking.Objectives: In a multi-country sample, we examined: (a) gender differences in perceived social support and both posttraumatic stress symptom severity (PTSS) and complex posttraumatic stress symptom severity (CPTSS); (b) associations between social support and PTSS/CPTSS; and (c) the potential moderating role of gender in the relationship between perceived social support and trauma-related distress.Method: A total of 2483 adults (Mage = 30yrs, 69.9% females) from 39 countries, who had been exposed to mixed trauma types, completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the International Trauma Questionnaire (which captures PTSS/CPTSS). Regression analyses examined associations between gender, perceived social support, and PTSS/CPTSS; and tested for gender by social support interactions in predicting PTSS/CPTSS scores. Models were adjusted for age and socioeconomic status.Results: In our cross-country sample, females had greater PTSS/CPTSS than males (B = .23 [95% CI 0.16, 0.30], p < .001; B = .20 [0.12, 0.27], p < .001; respectively), but there was no evidence of gender differences in perceived social support (B = .05 [-0.05, 0.16], p = .33). For both genders, low perceived social support was associated with higher PTSS/CPTSS (females: B = -.16 [-0.20, -0.12], p < .001; B = -.27 [-0.30, -0.24], p < .001; respectively; males: B = -.22 [-0.29, -0.15], p < .001; B = -.31 [-0.36, -0.26], p < .001; respectively), and for PTSS only we found weak evidence that this association was stronger for males vs. females (B = .07 [0.04, 0.14, p = .04).Conclusion: Individuals who feel more socially supported have lower trauma-related distress, and this association is similar in males and females. PTSD/CPTSD interventions may benefit from augmenting perceived social support, regardless of gender.

In our multi-country sample, females show higher levels of (complex) posttraumatic stress symptom severity than males.There is no evidence of gender differences in perceived social support.Greater perceived social support is associated with lower (complex) posttraumatic stress symptom severity across both genders.

Childhood maltreatment is linked to larger preferred interpersonal distances towards friends and strangers across the globe.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is thought to be associated with altered responses to social stimuli and interpersonal signals. However, limited evidence exists that CM is linked to larger comfortable interpersonal distance (CID) - the physical distance humans prefer towards others during social interactions. However, no previous study has investigated this association in a comprehensive sample, yielding sufficient statistical power. Moreover, preliminary findings are limited to the European region. Finally, it is unclear how CM affects CID towards different interaction partners, and whether CID is linked to social functioning and attachment. To address these outstanding issues, adults (N = 2986) from diverse cultures and socio-economic strata completed a reaction time task measuring CID towards an approaching stranger and friend. Higher CM was linked to a larger CID towards both friends and strangers. Moreover, insecure attachment and less social support were associated with larger CID. These findings demonstrate for the first time that CM affects CID across countries and cultures, highlighting the robustness of this association.

Sleep-related cognitive function and the K-complex in schizophrenia.

Sleep parameters have been reported to be related to cognitive function in a variety of ways. Problem solving and procedural learning were found to be improved after sleep but training also affected subsequent sleep and some parameters were related to cognitive trait variables, e.g. IQ. Additional to rapid-eye-movement (REM) and slow wave sleep (SWS), micro-architectural features such as spindle activity and K-complexes have recently been the focus of interest. The study aimed at investigating the relationship of neuropsychological variables, problem solving and procedural learning with sleep parameters in stably medicated schizophrenia patients. Twenty schizophrenia out-patients participated in the study. Learning and testing occurred over a randomly balanced waking and sleep interval. The tasks were the Tower of London (ToL) and mirror tracing. Sleep EEG was analysed together with spindle activity and K-complexes. Performance improved with regard to both tasks from learning to testing irrespective of type of interval. Increasing density of K-complexes was related to a higher number of solved ToL tasks pre and post night whereas longer SWS was related to faster completion of the ToL. A higher age was related to less overnight improvement in regard to number of solved ToL tasks. K-complexes are thought to indicate intra-cortical activity paving the way for the uptake of new information. As ToL is considered a test of executive function, K-complexes appear to be linked to this domain, deficits of which are thought to be a core feature of schizophrenia.