Examining the Association Between Trauma Characteristics and Adult Depression and Anxiety: Analysis of Types, Variety, Repetition, and Timing of Past Trauma.

Past research has emphasized the impact of prior trauma on adult depression and anxiety rates. However, few studies have examined the simultaneous connection between various trauma characteristics (e.g., type, variety, repetition, timing) and symptoms of depression and anxiety in adults. Understanding how these different trauma characteristics relate to mental health issues can offer valuable insight into predicting the onset of such problems. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis with 356 adult participants to explore the associations between lifetime trauma history and depression/anxiety scores. Participants retrospectively reported on five different traumatic experiences from birth to the present, including childhood physical abuse, witnessing parental violence, lifetime experiences of rape, witnessing trauma to loved ones, and the unexpected death of loved ones. For each trauma type, participants indicated the timing of their first exposure and the frequency of subsequent occurrences. Depression and anxiety symptoms in the past 2 weeks were also self-reported. Multiple regression analyses with covariates were employed. On average, participants experienced two out of the five trauma types. Regardless of the type, having at least one traumatic experience was linked to higher depression and anxiety scores. Those who experienced all five trauma types reported the highest levels of depression and anxiety. Repeated instances of rape, witnessing trauma to loved ones, and the death of loved ones were significantly associated with elevated depression and anxiety scores. The timing of exposure to the unexpected death of loved ones predicted higher depression scores in childhood compared to adulthood, while no relationship between timing and anxiety scores was observed. Other trauma types did not show significant associations. Our study enhances knowledge of the link between trauma and depression/anxiety by elucidating how various trauma characteristics, such as type, variety, repetition, and timing of trauma, have differential influences on depression and anxiety scores.

Associations between childhood maltreatment and physiological dysregulation in adulthood: Methodological decisions and implications.

BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment is linked with health problems in adulthood. Theoretical models suggest that maltreatment leads to dysregulation in several bodily systems, and this has been corroborated using measures of physiological function (i.e., biomarkers). Methodological decisions involving the measurement of maltreatment and dimension reduction with respect to biomarkers (i.e., combining information across multiple measures) may influence research findings. OBJECTIVE: The present study compares associations between childhood maltreatment and adult physiological dysregulation using multiple dimension reduction approaches and measures of maltreatment. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants were recruited, as children, to a prospective study of the correlates and consequences of childhood maltreatment. 253 participants were retained and provided biomarker data at midlife. Physiological dysregulation was operationalized with a conventional allostatic load approach and a novel statistical distance approach. METHODS: Regression models were employed with allostatic load or statistical distance as the outcome and prospectively or retrospectively measured child maltreatment as the primary predictor. RESULTS: When using allostatic load as the outcome, prospectively measured childhood maltreatment was positively associated with physiological dysregulation (b = 0.70, SE = 0.31, p = 0.02). When using statistical distance as the outcome, retrospectively measured childhood maltreatment was positively associated with physiological dysregulation (b = 0.69, SE = 0.19 p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We report a positive association between childhood maltreatment and physiological dysregulation at midlife. However, the significance and magnitude of effects varied with different maltreatment and physiological dysregulation measures. Further review of the methods used to study adult health conditions and their relation to childhood maltreatment is needed.

Associations between prospective and retrospective measures of child abuse and self-reported adult health at midlife.

BACKGROUND: The long-term health effects of physical child abuse are well documented in self-report, retrospective studies. However, there have been few longitudinal, multimethod studies on physiological responses to stress and the onset of chronic disease, thereby slowing the advancement of prevention and intervention programs. OBJECTIVES: This study used survey data from an extended longitudinal study to examine prospective and retrospective associations between measures of physical child abuse and adult health in the 40s. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data are from an ongoing longitudinal study of the correlates and consequences of child maltreatment that began in the 1970s with a sample of 457 children. METHODS: Bivariate correlations and multiple regression models with covariates were used to assess associations between measures of physical child abuse and outcomes of self-reported health in adulthood. RESULTS: Physical child abuse, measured retrospectively, was moderately related to reports of overall health, as well as a number of adult health problems and conditions, such as back and chest pain, hypertension, and certain forms of cancer. Associations were also observed for lifetime alcohol problems and past-year doctor and emergency room visits. Fewer associations between prospective parent self-report measures of physical child abuse and adult health were identified, although child welfare (official record) reports performed similarly to retrospective measures. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds important information on the long-term health effects of child physical abuse, as well as measurement differences in the prediction of adult health outcomes. Conclusions drawn from prospective and retrospective studies of abuse are at best inconsistent, and possibly incompatible.