Childhood Maltreatment as a Predictor of Depression-Anxiety Coupling Strength

The correlations between psychotic symptoms and childhood maltreatment as well as sex differences in adolescents with major depressive disorder

Identification with the aggressor and doubt regarding abuse-related appraisals as predictors of depression and anxiety in childhood abuse survivors.

Childhood abuse places individuals at an elevated risk for psychopathology, including depressive and anxiety symptoms. Theory suggests that two abuse-related processes, identification with the aggressor (IWA) and doubt regarding abuse-related appraisals (DARA), may further exacerbate survivors' vulnerability. This longitudinal study examined the associations between IWA and DARA and both concurrent and subsequent depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as the predictive role of membership in IWA-DARA latent profiles in symptom development. An online survey was administered to 718 adult female survivors of childhood abuse residing in Israel. Participants completed self-report measures assessing IWA, DARA, depression, anxiety, and childhood abuse characteristics at Time 1 (T1), and a follow-up survey assessing depression and anxiety at Time 2 (T2; n = 245). Analyses revealed that higher IWA and DARA scores at T1 were significantly associated with greater concurrent and subsequent depression and anxiety symptoms. Two profiles emerged, representing co-occurring high versus low levels of IWA and DARA (i.e., reflecting overall co-occurrence of both constructs at different levels). Latent profile membership predicted depressive and anxiety symptoms at T2, beyond age, abuse severity, abuse recurrence, and baseline symptom levels. Findings suggest that elevated IWA and DARA, particularly when co-occurring, are associated with higher emotional distress and greater risk for long-term psychopathology. These results underscore the importance of assessing both relational and cognitive-emotional processes in clinical interventions with survivors of childhood abuse. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations of family adversity and childhood trauma with multidomain psychopathology in adolescent depression

Background: Adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) is heterogeneous, with diverse and frequently co-occurring psychopathological manifestations. Although family-related experiences, childhood trauma, rumination, and psychological resilience have each been linked to adolescent mental health, less is known about how they are interrelated and jointly associated with distinct psychopathological domains. This study examined these associations within an integrative framework. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 80 adolescents with MDD and 53 healthy controls. Family functioning, parenting, childhood trauma, rumination, psychological resilience, and four clinical domains, including affective distress, suicidal ideation, the non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) spectrum, and self-regulation difficulties, were assessed using validated instruments. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) examined their multivariate associations. Sensitivity analyses restricted to the MDD sample and covariate-adjusted regression models assessed the robustness of the findings. Results: The four clinical domains showed high reliability and acceptable discriminant validity. Family dysfunction was associated with maladaptive parenting and childhood trauma, and maladaptive parenting was associated with childhood trauma (beta = .383-.600; all p < .001). Childhood trauma was associated with greater rumination (beta = .625) and lower psychological resilience (beta = -.405; both p < .001). Rumination and psychological resilience showed opposing associations with all four domains (rumination: beta = .280-.559; resilience: beta = -.265 to -.399; all p <= .006). Family dysfunction, maladaptive parenting, and childhood trauma showed significant total indirect associations with each domain (all p < .001). The model explained 53%-85% of the variance across the four domains. The MDD-only analysis reproduced the principal associations observed in the combined sample and additionally showed direct associations between maladaptive parenting and all four clinical domains. Covariate-adjusted analyses retained all principal associations except the resilience-NSSI association. Conclusions: The findings support a multidimensional characterization of adolescent MDD comprising distinguishable yet interrelated domains of affective-psychosomatic distress, suicidal ideation, the NSSI spectrum, and self-regulation difficulties. The partly shared and partly distinct associations of these domains with family-related adversity, rumination, and psychological resilience support considering domain-level psychopathology alongside diagnostic status and global depression severity in research on adolescent MDD.

THE IMPACT OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES ON MENTAL HEALTH AND INVOLVEMENT IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS IN ADULTHOOD

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.

Childhood maltreatment and inflammatory biomarkers associated with depressive severity in adolescents with major depressive disorder.

Resilience as a Protective Factor Against the Exacerbating Effects of Common Psychiatric Comorbidities on Depression

Regression analysis showed that resilience significantly moderated the relationship between current symptoms of anxiety and depression, but there was no such moderation effect regarding the influence of PTSD symptoms and sleep disruption on depressive symptomatology.