Linking childhood emotional abuse and depressive symptoms: The role of emotion dysregulation and interpersonal problems

Christ, Carolien; Waal, Marleen M. de; Dekker, Jack; Kuijk, Iris van; Schaik, Digna J. F. van; Kikkert, Martijn; Goudriaan, Anna E.; Beekman, Aartjan; Messman-Moore, Terri L.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0211882

Cited by 118 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…For example, recent metaanalyses showed that emotional abuse and neglect were associated with greater risk for depression than were physical and sexual abuse, 7,52 and other studies have reported nonsignificant associations between both physical and sexual abuse with depressive symptoms. 53,54 That being said, as noted above, physical abuse and sexual abuse are often less frequently endorsed than other forms of maltreatment, and lower prevalence rates can attenuate the strength of their association with depression. Researchers have also posited that among individuals with a history of physical abuse and sexual abuse, distress may manifest in other ways, as these forms of abuse increase risk for other forms of psychopathology, namely posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or sexual promiscuity, particularly in younger samples.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

<p>Childhood Maltreatment, Negative Self-Referential Processing, and Depressive Symptoms During Stress</p>

Jopling¹,

Tracy²,

LeMoult³

2020

PRBM

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Introduction: Researchers have documented that the impact of childhood maltreatment on later symptoms of depression differs depending on the type(s) of maltreatment experienced, with emotional abuse and neglect being more likely than other forms of childhood maltreatment to increase the risk for depression. It is possible that emotional abuse and neglect are more likely to increase the risk for depression because they promote the development of negative selfreferential processing (SRP), but this has not yet been tested empirically. The current study was designed to examine whether negative SRP mediated the association between different forms of childhood maltreatment and symptoms of depression during a time of stress. Methods: We assessed the experience of different forms of childhood maltreatment (ie, emotional neglect, physical neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse) and negatively biased self-schemas early on in the university semester, among a sample of undergraduate students. We then assessed levels of depressive symptoms 2 months later during a naturalistic stressor (ie, university students' first final exams). Results: As expected, negative SRP mediated the relation between both neglect and emotional abuse, but not physical and sexual abuse, and later symptoms of depression. Discussion: This is the first study to examine SRP as a mechanism underlying the association between forms of childhood maltreatment and symptoms of depression during a time of stress. Results suggest that the development of negative SRP biases may explain why some types of childhood maltreatment are more likely than others to increase an individual's risk for depression during stressful developmental periods.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

<p>Childhood Maltreatment, Negative Self-Referential Processing, and Depressive Symptoms During Stress</p>

Jopling¹,

Tracy²,

LeMoult³

2020

PRBM

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“…both men and women; four studies (21,32,64,71) included female participants only and one study (52) included male participants only. Sample sizes ranged from 50 to 5,614 participants.…”

Section: Characteristics Of the Primary Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In total, 13 studies examined emotion dysregulation as a potential mediating variable in the emotional abuse-depression link. Overall emotion dysregulation was examined in five studies (29,32,52,63,64). Two studies (32,64) reported that the effect of childhood emotional abuse on depressive symptoms was significantly mediated by emotion dysregulation measured by the DERS in emerging adult women.…”

Section: Emotion Dysregulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Biological mechanisms that have been investigated include genetic (25,26) and neurobiological factors [e.g., impairments in HPA axis functioning; (27)]. Psychological mechanisms mainly involve maladaptive relationship and thinking styles, such as early maladaptive schemas (28), emotion dysregulation (29), hopelessness (30), insecure attachment styles (31), and interpersonal problems (32). Yet, the literature remains poorly integrated, and thus there is a need for a systematic review that has the potential to support the development of empirically supported models of depression vulnerability and maintenance and provides a platform for ensuring that psychological interventions target the most promising mechanisms, which may lead to improved treatment outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological Mediators of the Association Between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Depression: A Systematic Review

Luyten

Midgley

2020

Front. Psychiatry

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Background: A number of existing meta-analyses and narrative reviews have already addressed the relation between childhood adversity and depression, yet none of them has examined the specific link between emotional abuse and depression highlighted by previous research. It is no longer appropriate to regard childhood maltreatment as a unitary concept when considering its effects on subsequent depression; instead, subtypes of childhood maltreatment need to be scrutinized separately. This review addresses this significant gap by critically evaluating empirical studies examining psychological mediators of the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and subsequent depression.Methods: A systematic search of nine electronic databases was conducted to identify eligible studies published in English between January 1980 and January 2020. Given the heterogeneous outcomes of eligible studies and the inconsistent reporting of indirect effects, a narrative synthesis, rather than a quantitative meta-analysis, was conducted. An appraisal of methodological quality was also included.Results: We identified 34 papers, comprising 18,529 adults and 3,434 adolescents, including 888 clinical participants. Our synthesis suggests that studies on mediators in the emotional abuse–depression link have focused on five clusters of intervening variables: early maladaptive schemas, cognitive-personality variables, emotion dysregulation, interpersonal styles, and stressful negative events. Only 11 studies identified the unique contribution of emotional abuse to depression by controlling for other forms of childhood maltreatment.Conclusions: Our findings support several routes with relative consistency (e.g., early maladaptive schemas, hopelessness, negative cognitive styles, brooding rumination, overall emotion dysregulation). Because psychological mediators function as a complex interrelated system, controlling for the interrelation between them is important. The evidence for the purported mediating role of the factors identified in this review should be considered with caution given the relative dearth of large-scale, adequately powered longitudinal studies. This review proposes a comprehensive multilevel theoretical framework as a basis for future research.

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“…Students who have secure attachments early in life can satisfy their needs through their own efforts while those with those with insecure attachments due to abuse and neglect tend to lack personal control affecting their self-efficacy. Abuse manifests in various forms such as emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological and social problems and neglect which collectively cause trauma and depression, substance dependency, problems in interpersonal relations leading to lowered self-esteem [42,43].…”

Section: Hindrances To Student Self-efficacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Students’ Self-Efficacy: Implication for High School Guidance and Counselling Educators

Mathwasa¹,

Sibanda²

2020

Counseling and Therapy

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As students enter high school, they face a myriad risk of adverse outcomes such as pressure to perform or drop out; peer influence to conform or be an outcast; drug and substance abuse; delinquency, poverty and possibly abuse and neglect. It is also at this stage where most teenage students experience identity crisis. As a result, students' self-efficacy is then impaired, and their resilience diminished with every stress and trauma they experience. Thus far, there has been scanty research in utilising classroom guidance in understanding what factors impact or not, and how school counsellors choose to engage in classroom guidance. While much guidance and counselling in schools has focused on career choices, sexual and physical harassment, and perhaps, bereavement, abuse and neglect, very little is known on how detrimental lack of self-efficacy and resilience is to the high school student. Even though educators aim to cover the academic syllabus, it is also essential that operative guidance and counselling should also pay equal attention to the social syllabus. This chapter aims to explore the factors that are detrimental to students' self-efficacy, resilience and coping mechanism; how classroom guidance and counselling can reduce the risk of the adverse outcomes in the society.

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Linking childhood emotional abuse and depressive symptoms: The role of emotion dysregulation and interpersonal problems

Cited by 118 publications

References 73 publications

<p>Childhood Maltreatment, Negative Self-Referential Processing, and Depressive Symptoms During Stress</p>

<p>Childhood Maltreatment, Negative Self-Referential Processing, and Depressive Symptoms During Stress</p>

Psychological Mediators of the Association Between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Depression: A Systematic Review

Enhancing Students’ Self-Efficacy: Implication for High School Guidance and Counselling Educators

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