Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) constitute key etiological risk factors for the development of mental disorders and maladaptive interpersonal behavior. This study examines the relationship between the level of ACEs and the likelihood of future involvement in abusive relationships, alongside assessing accompanying indicators of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms.
The empirical research utilized a comprehensive psychodiagnostic battery, including the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE), General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), PTSD Checklist (PTCI), and Profile of Psychological Abuse Questionnaire. The sample comprised 214 respondents stratified into clinical and control groups. Data analysis involved comparative, correlational, and multiple regression methods.
The study establishes a differentiated mapping of specific childhood traumas against adult psychopathology. Emotional abuse and neglect uniquely predict adult depression and anxiety. Material deprivation demonstrates a selective significant correlation with specific post-traumatic cognitions, including internalized self-blame and rigid negative beliefs about the self and the world. Childhood sexual abuse is verified as a universal catalyst inducing total mental destabilization across all measured clinical indicators. Witnessing interparental violence and parental mental illness selectively prime individuals for elevated generalized anxiety.
Adults with a history of abusive relationships demonstrate significantly higher cumulative ACE scores and comorbid trauma symptoms. Early psychic trauma undermines the psychological defense system, fixing the individual in a vulnerable relational position. Effective clinical rehabilitation requires a paradigm shift from standard educational programs toward prolonged, trauma-informed psychotherapeutic interventions. Clinicians must assess the underlying childhood traumatic substrate to prevent potential relapses of adult re-victimization.
BACKGROUND
Human development is influenced by experiences across the lifespan. Both positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have repercussions throughout adulthood. The literature shows that ACEs can increase psychopathological symptoms, such as obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), whereas PCEs can protect against psychopathology. Difficulties in emotional regulation (DER) may also contribute to the development of obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
AIMS
This study aimed to analyze the relationship between PCEs, ACEs, and OCS. Biological sex differences were examined across variables. The study also analyzed whether DER mediates the relationships between PCEs and OCS, and between ACEs and OCS.
METHODS
The sample consisted of 206 adults (168 women and 38 men). Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form, and the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised.
RESULTS
Significant relationships were observed between the variables, and sex differences in OCS were found. DER partially mediated the relationship between PCEs and OCS. DER also partially mediated the relationship between emotional neglect and OCS.
CONCLUSION
These results highlight the importance of positive and adverse childhood experiences for the development of OCS, as well as the mediating role of DER in these associations.
Gonçalo Martins Caramelo, Elisa Kern de Castro, T. Almeida· Journal of Mental Health· 0 citations
Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) during childhood and adolescence is linked to substantial mental health risk, yet harms are not experienced uniformly. This study tested moderators of the association between cumulative IBSA exposure (number of IBSA forms endorsed before age 18) and psychological distress, suicide attempts, and self-harm in a diverse U.S. convenience sample of 2,854 young adults who reported 4,205 incidents of IBSA during childhood or adolescence. In fully adjusted models, the main effects of cumulative IBSA exposure were not statistically significant; however, its associations with mental health outcomes varied across incident, developmental, and sociodemographic characteristics. Childhood adversity and sex assigned at birth moderated the association with psychological distress. Dating-partner involvement and repeated victimization moderated the association with suicide attempts, while adult-perpetrator involvement, explicit sexual content, racial or ethnic minority status, and educational attainment moderated the association with self-harm. Commercial involvement was associated with higher odds of suicide attempts but lower odds of self-harm. These findings underscore the importance of trauma-informed, context-sensitive responses that account for heterogeneity in survivors' experiences and vulnerabilities.
A. Gewirtz-Meydan, Kimberly J. Mitchell, Lisa M. Jones et al.· Child Maltreatment· 0 citations
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, are prevalent and represent a major risk factor for psychological distress in adulthood. Although control-related constructs such as self-efficacy, mastery, and perceived control have been widely examined in this context, the role of locus of control (LoC) remains less well understood. The present study investigated the associations between ACEs, LoC, and psychological distress, and examined whether LoC mediates or moderates the relationship between ACE exposure and psychological distress. Data were drawn from a representative survey of the German general population [N = 2,463; age range 16–96 years; female 1,237 female (50.2%)]. ACEs were assessed using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, psychological distress was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire–4, and LoC was assessed with the Internal–External Locus of Control Short Scale–4. Structural equation modeling with robust diagonally weighted least squares estimation was applied. Higher ACE exposure significantly predicted greater psychological distress and a more external LoC orientation. Mediation analyses indicated that LoC accounted for approximately half of the association between ACE exposure and psychological distress. In contrast, moderation analyses did not reveal a significant interaction effect between ACE exposure and LoC in predicting psychological distress. These findings highlight control beliefs as an important psychological factor, linking early adversity to adult psychological distress and suggest that interventions targeting perceived control may help mitigate long-term mental health consequences of childhood adversity.
I. Behrens, B. Schmalbach, E. Brähler et al.· Frontiers in Epidemiology· 0 citations
Background Childhood traumatic experiences are known to have profound and lasting effects on mental health; however, there are limited data on the relationship between types of childhood trauma and social anxiety in non-clinical populations. Aim This study aimed to explore the associations between types of childhood trauma and social anxiety symptoms in non-clinical young adults. Setting The study was conducted at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university in Istanbul, Turkey. Methods This cross-sectional study included 486 university students. Sample size was determined via G*Power analysis to ensure statistical power. Participants completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to assess childhood trauma types and social anxiety symptoms. Data were analysed using stepwise multiple regression. Results The mean age of the participants was 21.8 ± 4.0 years, and 81% were female, with emotional abuse and neglect scoring highest in both genders. The sample’s LSAS total mean score was 63.87 ± 11.68. When the subscales were compared by gender, females had significantly higher mean fear and avoidance scores than males (p < 0.05). The results show that childhood abuse and neglect were significant predictors of social anxiety and explained 23% of the social anxiety variance. Conclusion Childhood abuse and neglect are clearly associated with social anxiety symptoms. Interventions and treatments for individuals with social anxiety should incorporate a detailed assessment of childhood trauma history, with a particular focus on emotional abuse and neglect. Contribution This study contributes to the literature by clarifying the associations between specific types of childhood trauma and social anxiety symptoms in a non-clinical young adult population.
Ayfer Ekim-Günaydın, M. Çöpür· South African Journal of Psy...· 0 citations
It is hypothesized that individuals with greater childhood maltreatment severity, particularly severity of emotional abuse and neglect, will exhibit stronger DACS, reflecting greater temporal coupling between depression and anxiety symptoms, and whether childhood maltreatment severity and subtype predict stronger coupling and more persistent symptom trajectories.
Traumatic experiences during childhood are among the most consistently reported long-term predictors of mental health problems and suicidal behaviour. This review examines the relationship between adverse childhood experiences—particularly physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as neglect—and suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and self-harm behaviour, within the framework of the neurobiological, emotional, cognitive and interpersonal mechanisms mediating this relationship. Recent meta-analyses and large-scale epidemiological studies indicate that different types of abuse increase the likelihood of suicide attempts in adulthood by approximately two to five times, and that the risk rises in a dose-dependent manner with cumulative exposure. The findings suggest that dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, an imbalance between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, difficulties with emotion regulation, schemas of hopelessness and insecure attachment patterns form interacting pathways linking trauma to suicidal behaviour. Among protective factors, a safe family environment, supportive school and community resources, and cognitive resilience stand out. From a clinical perspective, there is evidence that trauma-focused psychotherapies and approaches targeting emotion regulation, such as dialectical behaviour therapy, reduce self-harm. In this context, early diagnosis, trauma-informed care and multi-component prevention programmes appear to be crucial in reducing risk.
Bekir Cem Aydin· International journal of soc...· 0 citations
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