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

Abstract

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.

The role of social media in spreading panic among primary and secondary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online questionnaire study from the Gaza Strip, Palestine

“…It was reported that the students were experiencing psychological issues related to panic, depression, stress, anger, anxiety, sadness, fear confusion, as well as social dysfunction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the most popular psychological and behavioural reactions on the individuals during the COVID-19 crisis were nervousness, irritability, frustration, emotional disturbance, exhaustion, boredom, insomnia, guilt, stigma, poor concentration, indecisiveness, detachment, deteriorating work performance, and financial problems [ 54 ]. Also, the results showed that female students were psychologically affected significantly more than male students.…”

“…The results also showed that psychological effects were more common in older students than in younger students. The older students and teenagers tend to present with more worry and depressive more than children [ 56 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ] due to feeling with anxiety due to several reasons such as worry about their educational performance during the closure of schools or fear being infected by the coronavirus [ 54 ]. It was reported that anxiety in teens is more common than in younger children due to the presence of many physical and emotional changes that can participate in developing anxiety [ 66 ].…”

The Impact of Different Types of Abuse on Depression

“…This is when individuals are more likely to become depressed; unable to escape anger, fear, shame, and guilt, they may attempt to cope by inhibiting all of these emotions. For example, a person who has difficulties revealing the concealed pain that resulted from abuse may also be unable to effectively understand and deal with their depression [139], with possible negative implications for treatment outcomes.…”

From Stress to Depression: Bringing Together Cognitive and Biological Science

“…Previous depressive episodes may leave cognitive and biological “scars” that change the association between risk factors and depression onset (De Raedt & Koster, 2010; Slavich & Irwin, 2014). Relatedly, exposure to chronic stressors and early life stress, particularly during sensitive periods of development, alters biological and cognitive processes (Heim et al, 2000; Jopling, Tracy, & LeMoult, 2020). Thus, there is reason to examine the extent to which associations between cognitive and biological stress reactivity change on the basis of depression history, stressor timing, and duration of stressor exposure.…”