Associations Between Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Depression: a Mediation Analysis

Overview

Journal BMC Psychiatry

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2019 Jan 24

PMID 30669984

Citations 19

Authors

Anne Klumparendt

Janna Nelson

Jens Barenbrugge

Thomas Ehring

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: There is ample evidence showing that childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for the development of depression in adulthood. However, little is known about the psychological processes mediating this relationship. This study used a large community sample to investigate the mediating role of emotional, cognitive and/or interpersonal dysfunctions on the one hand and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms on the other hand.

Methods: One thousand twenty seven participants of a community sample filled out an online survey. Mediation analyses were computed via linear structural equation modelling.

Results: Results showed a significant mediation of the association between CM and adult depression via emotional impairments, depressogenic attribution style and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Our study design was cross-sectional and therefore did not allow testing temporal precedence of mediators and causality. Data was collected retrospectively, a confounding effect of current depressive symptoms on retrospective recall of CM therefore cannot be ruled out.

Conclusions: The a priori mediation model showed a good fit with the data. The model suggests promising objectives for further research on CM-related depression and potential treatment targets in the future.

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