Associations of childhood emotional and physical neglect with mental health and substance use in young adults

Abstract

Background: Childhood neglect is a risk factor for subsequent mental health problems. However, research on the unique contribution of emotional and physical subtypes of neglect is lacking. Importantly, if emotional and physical neglect have different impacts on mental health, they must be examined separately to understand how to prevent and treat their effects. Objective: This study aimed to examine associations of emotional and physical neglect with depression, anxiety, stress, alcohol and drug use in 18- to 20-year-olds. Methods: Participants ( N = 569, mean age = 18.9, 70% female) responded in an online survey to questions on childhood emotional and physical neglect, childhood abuse, symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and alcohol and drug use and problems. Procedures were approved by the University of Sydney Human Ethics Committee. Hierarchical linear regressions were performed, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and other adverse childhood experiences. Results: Combined neglect was associated with depression ( B = 2.895, p < 0.001), anxiety ( B = 1.572, p = 0.003) and stress ( B = 1.781, p = 0.001). However, a second model entering emotional and physical neglect as separate exposures revealed emotional neglect was driving this association with depression ( B = 2.884, p < 0.001), anxiety ( B = 1.627, p = 0.001) and stress ( B = 1.776, p = 0.001), and that physical neglect was not associated with any outcome. Neither emotional nor physical neglect were associated with alcohol or drug use. Conclusion: Emotional neglect is a risk factor for mental health problems in early adulthood. Research that combines emotional and physical neglect into a single exposure may be obscuring relationships with mental health. Mental health prevention and treatment must screen for, and address, emotional neglect.

Positive mental health framework of transdiagnostic protective factors in elucidating the association between adverse childhood experiences and severe mental disorders

“…In contrast to the emotional abuse/ neglect subgroup, we did not observe any significant interaction or main effects of positive mental health resources in the physical abuse/neglect subgroup. Our results are aligned with previous works where emotional adversities have a stronger effect on psychopathology (Carr et al, 2013;Grummitt et al, 2021;Humphreys et al, 2020).…”

Dysfunctional Attitudes Mediate the Relationship Between Childhood Emotional Neglect and Anhedonia in Young Adult Major Depression Patients

“…At present, there are few studies on childhood physical neglect. Physical neglect is not associated with mental health problems in early adulthood, such as depression, anxiety, and stress (47). Therefore, the specific reasons for this association need to be further studied.…”

An Umbrella Review of the Links Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Substance Misuse: What, Why, and Where Do We Go from Here?

“… 86 Further research has examined associations between each specific ACE and substance misuse, finding the strongest predictors for adult substance misuse to be emotional abuse, household substance misuse, and household mental illness, 87 and deprivation less robustly associated with substance misuse among young adults. 88 However, here it is important to consider ACEs cumulatively and independently, rather than relying on one method, given the inter-relationship and co-occurrence of multiple adversity types. 87 Findings of the current umbrella review should be interpreted with the context that the ACEs assessed are skewed towards experiences of threat, particularly physical and sexual abuse.…”