The role of identity in the development of depressive, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms in adolescents exposed to childhood adversity

Abstract

Introduction: Childhood adversity is a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders and has especially been associated with an admixture of depressive, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms. Identity formation, a main developmental task during adolescence, may be impacted by these adverse experiences and act as an important process in the association between childhood adversity and psychopathology. Methods: We investigated the association between childhood adversity, identity formation, and depressive, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms cross-sectionally in 1913 Flemish adolescents between 11 and 20 years old (mean = 13.76, SD = 1.86). Adolescents completed questionnaires during the first wave of the SIGMA study between January 2018 and May 2019. Results: Childhood interpersonal adversity was associated with increased identity confusion and decreased identity synthesis. Additionally, identity confusion was associated with increased self-reported levels of psychopathology and potentially mediated the association between childhood adversity and psychopathology. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of promoting healthy identity formation in adolescents with and without exposure to adverse childhood experiences.

The role of identity in the development of depressive, anxiety and psychosis symptoms in adolescents exposed to childhood adversity: a process-oriented approach

“…Indeed, in a previous study, we reported a significant association between CA, a more vulnerable identity structure (i.e., synthesis and confusion) and psychopathology. Moreover, a path analysis pointed to identity structure as a potential mediator in the association between CA and psychopathology, though identity structure did not moderate this association (27).…”

“…Age and sex were added as covariates in all models, and pvalues were adjusted for multiple comparisons using Holm's correction. Finally, in line with (27) within the SIGMA study, we included a path analysis with CA as predictor of the five identity processes and of psychopathology to evaluate the potential mediation effect of identity processes on the association between CA and psychopathology. Although all included analyses are similar to (27), the current study was not preregistered.…”

“…Finally, in line with (27) within the SIGMA study, we included a path analysis with CA as predictor of the five identity processes and of psychopathology to evaluate the potential mediation effect of identity processes on the association between CA and psychopathology. Although all included analyses are similar to (27), the current study was not preregistered. In order to ensure a meaningful comparison between boys and girls, we assessed measurement invariance for both dependent variables, i.e., identity dimensions and psychopathology.…”

“…and 3) Do identity processes moderate the relation between CA and psychopathology? In line with (27), we additionally explored the potentially mediating effect of identity processes upon this association. We hypothesize that adolescents with a higher exposure to CA show less healthy identity dimensions (i.e., commitment making, identification with commitment, exploration in breadth and exploration in depth) and more ruminative exploration compared to peers without adverse childhood experiences.…”

COVID‐19‐related stress exacerbates the effect of child maltreatment on negative affect via increased identity confusion during adolescence

“…According to identity development theory, those experiencing identity confusion do not have a clear sense of themselves or their role in society (Erikson, 1968) and often report being helpless, dependent on others, and experiencing more negative emotions about how they fit into society (Heinström, 2010; Penner et al, 2019). A study has demonstrated that a reduced sense of self plays a mediating role in the association between childhood maltreatment and a range of adverse mental health outcomes, including depression, perceived stress, and overall distress in life (Samaey et al, 2023). Consequently, adolescents who are confused and uncertain about their identity may experience negative emotions associated with their uncertainty (Zettl et al, 2022).…”