Maternal childhood emotional abuse increases cardiovascular responses to children's emotional facial expressions.

Parents with a history of childhood maltreatment may be more likely to respond inadequately to their child's emotional cues, such as crying or screaming, due to previous exposure to prolonged stress. While studies have investigated parents' physiological reactions to their children's vocal expressions of emotions, less attention has been given to their responses when perceiving children's facial expressions of emotions. The present study aimed to determine if viewing facial expressions of emotions in children induces cardiovascular changes in mothers (hypo- or hyper-arousal) and whether these differ as a function of childhood maltreatment. A total of 104 mothers took part in this study. Their experiences of childhood maltreatment were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Participants' electrocardiogram signals were recorded during a task in which they viewed a landscape video (baseline) and images of children's faces expressing different intensities of emotion. Heart rate variability (HRV) was extracted from the recordings as an indicator of parasympathetic reactivity. Participants presented two profiles: one group of mothers had a decreased HRV when presented with images of children's facial expressions of emotions, while the other group's HRV increased. However, HRV change was not significantly different between the two groups. The interaction between HRV groups and the severity of maltreatment experienced was marginal. Results suggested that experiences of childhood emotional abuse were more common in mothers whose HRV increased during the task. Therefore, more severe childhood experiences of emotional abuse could be associated with mothers' cardiovascular hyperreactivity. Maladaptive cardiovascular responses could have a ripple effect, influencing how mothers react to their children's facial expressions of emotions. That reaction could affect the quality of their interaction with their child. Providing interventions that help parents regulate their physiological and behavioral responses to stress might be helpful, especially if they have experienced childhood maltreatment.

Heightened neural reward responsiveness functions as a plasticity factor moderating the association between childhood emotional abuse and young adult depressive symptoms: Evidence of differential susceptibility.

As a neural indicator of reward responsiveness (RR), reward positivity (RewP) has been demonstrated to moderate the association between stress exposure and depressive symptoms. However, extant research has primarily (a) focused on life stress rather than early maltreatment, (b) ignored the time-frequency components, and (c) has been based on a traditional perspective of diathesis stress. The present study aimed to comprehensively examine whether and how neurophysiological (RewP and its time-frequency decomposition components) and self-reported measures of RR interact with childhood emotional abuse on young adult depressive symptoms. The sample of 192 Chinese university students aged 18-25 (Mage = 21.08 ± 1.91 years; 59.4% girls) completed self-reported questionnaires of emotional abuse, depressive symptoms and RR. The RewP and its time-frequency components delta and theta were elicited via a monetary reward task. The results demonstrated that RewP significantly moderated the association between emotional abuse and young adult depressive symptoms in a differential susceptibility but not diathesis-stress manner. However, gain-related delta, loss-related theta, or self-reported RR did not drive such moderation effects. These findings were robust and survived a series of rigorous sensitivity analyses. The current findings provide preliminary evidence that heightened RewP may function as a plasticity factor moderating the association between early maltreatment exposure and depression, and highlight the effect specific to emotional abuse. However, caution should be paid to the generalizability of these findings in high-risk clinical samples, in light of the current high-functioning sample features and low rates of high symptom and abuse levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The relationship between childhood maltreatment subtypes and adolescent internalizing problems: The mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies.

BACKGROUND: While childhood maltreatment is understood to be a significant risk factor for adolescent internalizing problems (depression and anxiety), underlying mechanisms linking each type of maltreatment to internalizing problems in adolescents remain unclear. Moreover, the current state of knowledge regarding the associations between maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and each type of maltreatment, as well as their impact on adolescent internalizing problems, is limited. Additionally, it remains unclear whether these maladaptive strategies mediate this relationship. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to investigate the effects of childhood maltreatment types on adolescent internalizing problems and to explore whether the overall and specific types of maladaptive strategies mediate these associations. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, adolescents (N = 7071, Mage = 14.05 years, SDage = 1.54) completed online questionnaires assessing childhood maltreatment, maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (including rumination, catastrophizing, self-blame, and other-blame), anxiety, and depression. The hypothesized mediating effects were tested using the Lavaan package in R software (4.1.2). RESULTS: Different maltreatment types had varying effects on adolescent internalizing problems. Emotional neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse significantly affected anxiety and depression, whereas physical neglect and physical abuse did not. Other than physical neglect and physical abuse, overall maladaptive strategies mediated the relationship between the other three types of maltreatment (emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse) and internalizing problems (anxiety and depression). For specific maladaptive strategies, rumination mediated the effects of physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse on internalizing problems (anxiety and depression). In contrast, catastrophizing mediated the relationship between physical neglect, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, sexual abuse and internalizing problems (anxiety and depression). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the effects of maltreatment types on internalizing problems are different and that maladaptive strategies, particularly rumination and catastrophizing, are important mechanisms through which childhood maltreatment affects internalizing problems. This is a reminder that mental health workers need to consider the different effects of maltreatment types when intervening and recognize the importance of prioritizing interventions for rumination and catastrophizing.

The relationship between maternal-infant bonding and postpartum depression/anxiety: moderating effect of childhood psychological abuse and validation of the Mother-to-Infant Bonding scale (MIBS-8) in Arabic.

BACKGROUND: The emotional bond that a mother senses to her infant is essential to their social, emotional, and cognitive development. Understanding the level of mother-infant bonding plays an imperative role in the excellence of care. However, in Lebanon, there is a paucity of information about mother-infant bonding in the postpartum period. Given that Lebanese pregnant women constitute an important part of the population to look at, the objectives of the study were to (1) validate the Arabic version of the mother-infant bonding scale and (2) the relation between mother-infant bond and postpartum depression/anxiety; (3) the moderating effect of child abuse in the association between mother-infant bond and postpartum depression/anxiety. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2022 until June 2023, enrolling 438 women 4-6 weeks after delivery (mean age: 31.23 ± 5.24 years). To examine the factor structure of the mother-infant bond scale, we used an Exploratory-Confirmatory (EFA-CFA) strategy. To check if the model was adequate, several fit indices were calculated: the normed model chi-square (χ2/df), the Steiger-Lind root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the comparative fit index (CFI). RESULTS: EFA was conducted on the first subsample. Three items were removed. The five items remaining loaded on one factor, which explained 73.03% of the common variance (ω = .91 / α = .90). After adding a correlation between residuals for items 2-7 and 5-8, fit indices of the CFA results were acceptable: χ2/df = 6.97/3 = 2.32, RMSEA = .068 (90% CI .001, .135), SRMR = .017, CFI = .996, TLI = .988. The interaction maternal-infant bonding by child psychological abuse was significantly associated with depression and anxiety respectively. At low, moderate and high levels of child psychological abuse, higher maternal-infant bonding scores (greater difficulty in bonding) were significantly associated with higher depression and higher anxiety respectively. CONCLUSION: This study provides, for the first time, a specific Arabic scale to assess mother-infant bonding reliably and validly. Furthermore, our study has suggested the existence of factors that have additive effects in potentiating the risk for depression and anxiety among Lebanese postpartum women, namely a history of psychological child abuse. Therefore, laborious awareness programs and healthcare services need to be implemented in order to prevent maternal mental health disorders from being unrecognized and left untreated.

Prevalence, pattern and predictors of intimate partner violence amongst female undergraduates in Abia State, Nigeria; public health implications.

BACKGROUND: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is the range of sexually, psychologically and physically coercive acts used against adult and adolescent women by a current or former male partner. It is a major public health problem globally. This study determined the prevalence, patterns and predictors of IPV amongst female undergraduates in Abia State. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January - February 2022 amongst 306 female undergraduates in Abia State. A mixed method of an online structured questionnaire created on Google forms & onsite self-administered questionnaire were deployed for data collection. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were done using IBM SPSS Version 26.0. The level of significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: A total of 306 respondents participated in the survey. The overall prevalence of IPV amongst female undergraduates was 51.2% (95% CI: 44.8-57.6%). Emotional abuse was the most common form of abuse 78.9%, followed by Physical abuse 42.0% and Sexual abuse 30.8%. Predictors of IPV reported include female earning/receiving more than their partner monthly (aOR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.20-4.41); male (partner) alcohol consumption (aOR = 5.17; 95% CI: 2.46-10.88), being a smoker of cigarette/marijuana (aOR = 11.01; 95% CI: 1.26-96.25) and having witnessed domestic violence as a child (aOR = 3.55; 95% CI: I.56-8.07). Adverse effects such as unwanted pregnancies (12%), miscarriages (10%), eating/sleeping disorders (21%) and bruises (23%) amongst others were noted in some of the victims. CONCLUSION: Over half of all female undergraduates in Abia State have experienced IPV with emotional abuse being the commonest. Some Individual and relationship factors were identified as predictors of IPV. We recommend intensifying primary prevention campaigns against risk factors identified like smoking and alcohol consumption.

Associations between emotional maltreatment, depression and self-harm among Chinese adolescents: A three-wave longitudinal mediation model.

BACKGROUND: Self-harm seriously endangers adolescents' physical and mental health. However, the longitudinal mechanism of self-harm is not yet clear. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the inconsistent relationships between two types of emotional maltreatment and self-harm across three waves, regarding depression as a potential mediator and gender as a moderator of these associations. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A sample of 588 Chinese adolescents (Mage at T1 = 12.79 years) in a middle school completed the assessment of demographic information, emotional maltreatment, depression and self-harm within one year. METHODS: Path analysis models were created to estimate the relationship of emotional maltreatment with self-harm and the mediating effect of depression. A multi-group analysis was applied to investigate the moderating effect of gender. RESULTS: There existed positive associations between emotional abuse at T1 and self-harm at T2 and T3 (ß = 0.12, SE = 0.05, p = 0.006; ß = 0.09, SE = 0.05, p = 0.054), and the mediating effect of emotional abuse at T1 on self-harm at T3 via depression at T2 was significant (Indirect effect = 0.05, SE = 0.02, 95 % CI [0.02, 0.08]). Multi-group analysis of gender revealed no significant differences in the cross-lagged pathways, but there were stronger links for girls than boys among self-harm at T1, T2, and T3 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Emotional abuse but not emotional neglect could significantly predict self-harm. Furthermore, depression played a mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between emotional abuse and self-harm. Girls who had high levels of self-harm at a previous time point were more inclined than boys to harm themselves at a subsequent time point. These findings provide a different perspective to develop effective prevention and intervention measures.

A sex-specific pathway linking early life maltreatment, vagal activity, and depressive symptoms.

Background: Experiences of early life maltreatment (ELM) are alarmingly common and represent a risk factor for the development of psychopathology, particularly depression. Research has focused on alterations in autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning as a mediator of negative mental health outcomes associated with ELM. Early alterations in autonomic vagal activity (vmHRV) may moderate the relationship between ELM and depression, particularly when considering forms of emotional maltreatment. Recent evidence suggests that the relationships of both ELM and vmHRV with depression may be non-linear, particularly considering females.Objective: Building on and extending theoretical considerations and previous work, the present work aims to further the current understanding of the complex relationships between ELM exposure, vmHRV, and depression.Methods: This study uses an adaptive modelling approach, combining exploratory network-based analyses with linear and quadratic moderation analyses, drawing on a large sample of males and females across adolescence (total N = 213; outpatient at-risk sample and healthy controls) and adulthood (total N = 85; community-based convenience sample).Results: Exploratory network-based analyses reveal that exposure to emotional abuse is particularly central within a network of ELM subtypes, depressive symptoms, and concurrent vmHRV in both adolescents and adults. In adults, emotional neglect shows strong associations with both emotional abuse and vmHRV and is highly central as a network node, which is not observed in adolescents. Moderator analyses reveal significant interactions between emotional maltreatment and vmHRV predicting depressive symptoms in adult females. Significant quadratic relationships of emotional maltreatment and vmHRV with depression are observed in both adolescent and adult females.Conclusions: The present findings contribute to the understanding of the psychological and physiological mechanisms by which ELM acts as a risk factor for the development of depression. Ultimately, this will contribute to the development of targeted and effective intervention strategies to mitigate the detrimental effects of early adversity.

Early exposure to chronic and severe adversity, which includes experiences of maltreatment, defined by the World Health Organization as physical, sexual, emotional abuse and/or neglect of children under the age of 18, is highly prevalent in the general population (estimated at 40­50 percent), and is a well-documented risk factor for depression.The present work combines network-based analyses with tests of different functions (i.e. linear, nonlinear quadratic) in moderator analyses to further explore the complex relationships among ELM exposure, vmHRV, and depression.The present findings contribute to the understanding of the psychological and physiological mechanisms by which early exposure to chronic and severe maltreatment acts as a risk factor for the development of depression.Ultimately, this will contribute to the development of targeted and effective intervention strategies to mitigate the detrimental effects of early adversity.

Multiple mediation of the association between childhood emotional abuse and adult obesity by anxiety and bulimia - a sample from bariatric surgery candidates and healthy controls.

Bulimia, which means a person has episodes of eating a very large amount of food (bingeing) during which the person feels a loss of control over their eating, is the most primitive reason for being overweight and obese. The extended literature has indicated that childhood emotional abuse has a close relationship with adverse mood states, bulimia, and obesity. To comprehensively understand the potential links among these factors, we evaluated a multiple mediation model in which anxiety/depression and bulimia were mediators between childhood emotional abuse and body mass index (BMI). A set of self-report questionnaires, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), was sent out. Clinical data from 37 obese patients (age: 29.65 ± 5.35, body mass index (BMI): 37.59 ± 6.34) and 37 demographically well-matched healthy people with normal body weight (age: 31.35 ± 10.84, BMI: 22.16 ± 3.69) were included in the investigation. We first performed an independent t-test to compare all scales or subscale scores between the two groups. Then, we conducted Pearson correlation analysis to test every two variables' pairwise correlation. Finally, multiple mediation analysis was performed with BMI as the outcome variable, and childhood emotional abuse as the predictive variable. Pairs of anxiety, bulimia, and depression, bulimia were selected as the mediating variables in different multiple mediation models separately. The results show that the obese group reported higher childhood emotional abuse (t = 2.157, p = 0.034), worse mood state (anxiety: t = 5.466, p < 0.001; depression: t = 2.220, p = 0.030), and higher bulimia (t = 3.400, p = 0.001) than the healthy control group. Positive correlations were found in every pairwise combination of BMI, childhood emotional abuse, anxiety, and bulimia. Multiple mediation analyses indicate that childhood emotional abuse is positively linked to BMI (ß = 1.312, 95% CI = 0.482-2.141). The model using anxiety and bulimia as the multiple mediating variables is attested to play roles in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and obesity (indirect effect = 0.739, 95% CI = 0.261-1.608, 56.33% of the total effect). These findings confirm that childhood emotional abuse contributes to adulthood obesity through the multiple mediating effects of anxiety and bulimia. The present study adds another potential model to facilitate our understanding of the eating psychopathology of obesity.

Long-term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental health.

BACKGROUND: Childhood emotional maltreatment can be associated with long-term consequences on mental health. In addition, transgenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences to the next generation can occur and thus have an impact on the mental health of one's own children. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of stress on the association between childhood emotional maltreatment and parental load what is referred to in this study as limitations in parental functioning that affect the resources available to parents to cope with the demands of raising, caring for, and providing for their child. Furthermore the effect of parental load on the mental health of one's own children will be examined. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: N = 237 mother-child dyads (age mother M = 33.76, SD = 4.07 years; age child M = 11.91 months, SD = 0.89 months) from a longitudinal cohort study were examined at two different measuring points. METHODS: Emotional abuse, perceived stress, parental load and child mental health were assessed using self and external report questionnaires. RESULTS: The calculation of a mediation showed that the association of emotional abuse and parental load was completely mediated by perceived stress (indirect effect ab = 0.44, 95 %-CI[0.17, 0.78]). In addition, effects of parental load on the child's mental health (ß = 0.13, 95%CI [0.07;0.20]), mainly hyperactivity (ß = 0.06, 95%CI [0.03;0.11]) and prosocial behavior (ß = -0.04, 95%CI [-0.07; -0.01]), were evident. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide evidence that the mental health of children can be influenced in the long term by increased parental load.

The mediating role of trait mindfulness and dissociative experiences in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and problematic internet use in Italian adolescents.

There is clear evidence linking trauma, mindfulness, dissociation and problematic internet use (PIU). Nonetheless, little is known about the role trait mindfulness and dissociative experiences may have in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and PIU, as well as the role that gender may have in such relationships. In the current research, self-report questionnaires on CEA, trait mindfulness, dissociative experiences and PIU were administered to 1074 Italian adolescents (50% females) aged 14-17 years old, to test whether trait mindfulness and dissociative experiences mediated the relationship between CEA and PIU, and whether the proposed mediation was invariant across genders. Furthermore, the main analyses were controlled for background variables. The findings highlighted significant associations between all direct and indirect paths and invariance of the mediation model across boys and girls. The results of this study highlight that emotionally abused boys and girls with high levels of dissociation and inadequate mindful skills may be more exposed to dysfunctional online activities. Hence, developing dissociation-focused and mindfulness-based interventions for emotionally abused adolescents may be clinically effective when building tailored approaches for the prevention and management of PIU. Further implications are discussed.

[Emotional Abuse in Childhood and Adolescence: Biological Embedding and Clinical Implications]. / Emotionaler Missbrauch in Kindheit und Jugend ­ Biologische Einbettung und klinische Implikationen.

Emotional abuse, defined as degrading, manipulative, or neglectful behaviors by caregivers, represents a common adverse experience for children and adolescents, often co-occurring with other maltreatment types. Exposure to emotional abuse significantly affects mental health across the lifespan and is particularly associated with elevated depression risk.This review examinesmechanisms, by which emotional abuse influences brain development and the neuroendocrine stress response system and discusses the roles of genetic vulnerability and epigenetic processes in contributing to an elevated mental health risk. Emotional abuse has similar effects on brain networks responsible for emotion processing and regulation as other maltreatment types.Moreover, it uniquely affects networks related to self-relevant information and socio-cognitive processes. Furthermore, emotional abuse is associated with an impaired recovery of the neuroendocrine response to acute stress. Similar to other maltreatment types, emotional abuse is associated with epigenetic changes in genes regulating the neuroendocrine stress response system that are implicated in increased mental health risk.These findings suggest that emotional abuse has equally detrimental effects on children'smental health as physical or sexual abuse, warranting broader societal awareness and enhanced early detection efforts. Early interventions should prioritize emotion regulation, social cognition, self-esteemenhancement, and relationship- oriented approaches for victims of emotional abuse.

The mediating role of sleep problems and depressed mood between psychological abuse/neglect and suicidal ideation in adolescent childhood: a multicentred, large sample survey in Western China.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent suicidal ideation are associated with factors including psychological abuse/neglect, sleep problems, and depressed mood, but the systematic effects of these factors on suicidal ideation remain unclear, which is a research gap this work aims to fill. METHODS: A multi-center, the cluster sampling method was employed to collect general demographic data, such as age, gender, the experience of being left behind, and parents' marital status, from 12,192 students across 17 secondary schools in China. The Child Psychological Abuse and Neglect Scale (CPANS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Chinese version of the Depressed mood, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21) and Chinese version of Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI) were utilized. Data were analyzed using t-tests, chi-square tests, correlation analyses, and structural equation modeling mediation analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of psychological abuse/neglect and adolescent suicidal ideation was 34.8% and 13%, respectively. This mediation analysis suggests that, in the relationship between psychological abuse/neglect and suicidal ideation, sleep problems and depressed mood play both parallel and sequential mediating roles. CONCLUSION: Sleep problems and depressed mood play a mediating role in the development of suicidal ideation in adolescents. Good sleep habits and depressed mood interventions help reduce the risk of suicidal ideation in adolescents who experience psychological neglect/abuse.

Trying to Fit a Square Peg in a Round Hole? Testing the Robustness of Maltreatment Measurement Models for Youth.

Research on maltreatment exposure often demonstrates mixed findings and a potential explanation for this may be the measurement of maltreatment. One approach for addressing measurement concerns, which also accounts for maltreatment's multidimensional nature, is the use of a measurement or latent model. However, there is minimal evidence on the generalizability of this approach across populations of youth. This study examined measurement invariance of a one-factor maltreatment model across two samples of youth exposed to maltreatment using case file data from the SPARK and LONGSCAN datasets (N = 1286). Results showed that only partial metric invariance could be established for the one-factor model between SPARK and LONGSCAN subsamples, and neglect and emotional abuse indicators tended to show low factor loadings. Findings highlight the need to consider how potential differences in documentation and maltreatment rates influence model performance and the need for research on which maltreatment characteristics may best capture youths' experiences.

How does emotional abuse affect adolescents' non-suicidal self-injury urges? A moderated chain mediation model.

BACKGROUND: Studying non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents has high clinical significance. Its urges have been identified as a potential predictor of NSSI behavior and may serve as a crucial intervention target. OBJECTIVE: This study uses a moderated chain mediation model to explore the relationship between emotional abuse and adolescent NSSI urges. Additionally, we examine the mediating roles of ego depletion and self-esteem and the moderating effect of resilience. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: We recruited 1129 Chinese adolescents (age M = 16.68; SD = 0.78; 49.4 % men) from secondary vocational schools in China. METHODS: We assessed emotional abuse, ego depletion, self-esteem, and NSSI urges in a longitudinal investigation across two time points (T1: March 2023, T2: June 2023). RESULTS: After controlling for age, sex, NSSI urges and self-esteem at T1, our study validates a moderated chain mediation model and finds that the mediating effect via self-esteem is 0.026 (95%CI = [0.011,0.046]), and the chain mediating effect via ego depletion and self-esteem is 0.031 (95%CI = [0.022,0.045]), whereas the direct effect of emotional abuse T1 on NSSI urges T2 is not significant (DE = 0.082, 95%CI = [-0.002, 0.167]) and the mediating effect via ego depletion is also not significant (IE = -0.003, 95%CI = [-0.022, 0.015]). Resilience moderates the impact of emotional abuse on ego depletion (ß = 0.09, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that ego depletion and self-esteem are potential mechanisms related to emotional abuse and adolescents' NSSI urges, whereas resilience can play a moderating role in reducing ego depletion.

Childhood emotional abuse and depression among Chinese adolescent sample: A mediating and moderating dual role model of rumination and resilience.

BACKGROUND: Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) has been identified as a distal risk factor for later depression in adolescents. However, the underlying psychological mechanisms between CEA and adolescent depression are still poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the roles of rumination and resilience played in the association between CEA and depression among Chinese adolescents. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample included 919 students (52.56 % boys) with an average age of 13.47 years from a central province in China. METHODS: Participants completed multiple measurements of CEA, rumination, resilience, and depression. Multivariate path analysis was applied to examine the relations among these variables. RESULTS: Results showed (a) CEA was significantly positively related to adolescent depression; (b) Rumination partially mediated the relationship between CEA and depression and moderated the relationship between resilience and depression; (c) Resilience partially mediated the relationship between CEA and depression and moderated the relationship between rumination and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that both rumination and resilience played not only mediating but also moderating roles in the relationship between CEA and depression among Chinese adolescent sample, suggesting that the indirect effects of CEA on depression via resilience and rumination are dependent on each other. Hence, these findings deepened the understanding of the psychological mechanisms between CEA and depression and had several practical implications.

Child emotional abuse and adult depressive symptoms in a nationally representative sample of Black females: The moderating role of adolescent sleep duration.

Emotional abuse up to age 18 is associated with depressive symptoms in adulthood, yet few studies have examined these links in Black females. Despite research documenting the moderating role of sleep duration on early adversity and mental health, no studies have examined whether sleep duration during adolescence moderates the relations between emotional abuse up to age 18 and depressive symptoms in adulthood. We examined these relations in 690 Black females from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health)-Public Use. Individuals reported the frequency of emotional abuse up to age 18, hours of sleep during adolescence, and depressive symptoms using the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Only 55% of adolescents reported sleeping the recommended 8-10 hr per night. Frequent emotional abuse before age 18 years was associated with more adult depressive symptoms for those with shorter, but not longer, sleep duration. Greater attention should be placed on facilitating and promoting sleep health for Black females. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Emerging adult college students' descriptions of exposure to childhood emotional abuse and associated factors: A qualitative exploration.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence on the long-term deleterious impacts of emotional abuse highlights the need to further understand childhood emotional abuse and its context to strengthen prevention efforts. OBJECTIVE: To describe emerging adults' experiences of emotional abuse in their childhoods and the household context surrounding that abuse. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Fifty-eight interviews were conducted with emerging adults, ages 18-25, recruited from four 2- and 4-year institutions of higher education. METHODS: Thematic analysis was conducted to identify and describe patterns in the data. A cyclical approach to codebook development and data analysis was followed by a team of four coders. RESULTS: Themes related to participants' experiences of emotional abuse included: inability to meet parent expectations; parent attacks on the child's character; parent negative comparisons to siblings and others; parent invalidation of the child's emotions and mental health needs; and evolution over time in the parent-child relationship. Aspects of childhood family environments contemporaneous with the childhood emotional abuse included: financial stress; parent mental illness; parent divorce, separation, or volatile relationship; parent adversity or trauma; physical abuse; and young parent age. Many participants identified these aspects of their family environment, most of which could potentially be improved with sufficient support, as playing causal roles in the emotional abuse they experienced. CONCLUSION: This descriptive qualitative study provides additional insight into child emotional abuse and its associated factors, providing invaluable insights that can enhance current measurement and intervention approaches.

'It's not like we use the word emotional abuse'. A study on Norwegian child welfare workers understanding of emotional abuse.

BACKGROUND: Despite the recognition of emotional abuse (EA) as the most pervasive and harmful of all forms of child maltreatment, it is argued to be less understood than other forms of child maltreatment. EA is regarded as a standalone form for maltreatment and an essential factor embedded in all other forms of maltreatment of children, such as physical and sexual abuse. Thus, it is crucial for child welfare workers to understand EA, as one of their core mandates is to prevent and protect children from all forms of maltreatment. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore how child welfare workers in Norway describe and understand EA. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The study included 24 child welfare workers in 6 child welfare offices in Norway. METHODS: The data were obtained from focus group interviews and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Overall, the findings reveal that EA was unfamiliar to the child welfare workers, and that there is a low degree of awareness on EA among the study participants. Further, EA is closely connected to whether parents provide sufficient emotional care for their children and is understood as part of the complex situation surrounding the child. CONCLUSIONS: This article concludes with the need for reflective and sensitive discussions regarding understanding and awareness of EA in child welfare work. This has the potential to lead to greater insights into how EA is understood by child welfare workers as well as to enhance child welfare workers' abilities to describe, communicate about, and document EA.

Mothers' experiences of emotional abuse from an intimate partner and its associations with children's developmental outcomes at 5 years.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with an increased risk of poorer child development. Existing research has focused on physical abuse with less known about the associations with emotional IPV. OBJECTIVE: To describe the period prevalence of mother's experiences of emotional IPV during children's preschool years and associations with child mental, physical, social, and cognitive development. METHODS: Secondary analysis of control group data (n = 194) from an Australian randomised trial (right@home), which recruited pregnant women experiencing social adversity from antenatal clinics in 2013-14. Women reported emotional abuse (Composite Abuse Scale) at child ages 3-5 years. Measures of child development at 5 years included: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Social Skills Improvement System, Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, School Entry Alphabetic and Phonological Awareness Readiness Test, NIH executive function subtests, sleep and health. The prevalence of emotional IPV from 3 to 5 years was estimated. Regression models compared developmental outcomes according to emotional IPV exposure, adjusted for child age, child gender, and maternal education. Missing data were accounted for using multiple imputation. RESULTS: From 3-5 years, emotional IPV was experienced by 57% of women. Emotional IPV exposure was consistently associated with poorer child developmental outcomes. Differences were most apparent for SDQ internalising (mean difference 1.2, 95% CI 0.2 to 2.1) and externalising difficulties (1.2, 95% CI -0.1 to 2.4). CONCLUSIONS: Emotional IPV was highly prevalent amongst families experiencing social adversity. Developing acceptable and effective identification processes and interventions that prioritise families experiencing co-occurring social adversities should be a public health priority.

The Rating of Emotional Abuse in Childhood (REACH) Questionnaire: A new self-report measure assessing history of childhood emotional abuse.

BACKGROUND: A history of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is prevalent among adults with affective disorders; therefore, a comprehensive measure of it is vital. The Rating of Emotional Abuse in Childhood Questionnaire (REACH) was developed to assess history of CEA in relation to parental behaviours of threat, ignoring, humiliation/denigration, scapegoating, antipathy, and overcontrol/conditionality in a single measure. This paper investigated the psychometric properties of REACH in a community sample and proposes values for classifying individuals as high-risk for CEA. METHOD: A convenience sample of N = 483 adults (Female, 78.3%) was recruited to complete questionnaires that included the REACH alongside measures of mental health, insecure attachment, emotion regulation, and childhood abuse. A subset of participants (n = 198) completed the REACH 7 days later. RESULTS: Factor analysis indicated a 2-factor model provided a good fit. Factors were named 'threatening' and 'devaluing'. A total scale score of CEA was also recommended. The threatening, devaluing, and total scales demonstrated strong psychometric properties with high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity, while cutoff values for identifying a high-risk CEA group demonstrated good discriminant utility. CONCLUSIONS: The results support REACH as a valid measure and suggest a history of CEA should be measured in relation to threatening and devaluing CEA as they represent unique dimensions of CEA even though they often co-occur.