The interplay of childhood maltreatment and maternal depression in relation to the reward positivity in youth

Abstract Guided by developmental psychopathology and dual-risk frameworks, the present study examined the interplay between childhood maltreatment and maternal major depression history in relation to neural reward responsiveness in youth. The sample consisted of 96 youth (ages 9–16; M = 12.29 years, SD = 2.20; 68.8% female) drawn from a large metropolitan city. Youth were recruited based on whether their mothers had a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) and were categorized into two groups: youth with mothers with a history of MDD (high risk; HR; n = 56) and youth with mothers with no history of psychiatric disorders (low risk; LR; n = 40). The reward positivity (RewP), an event-related potential component, was utilized to measure reward responsiveness and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire measured childhood maltreatment. We found a significant two-way interaction between childhood maltreatment and risk group in relation to RewP. Simple slope analysis revealed that in the HR group, greater childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with reduced RewP. The relationship between childhood maltreatment and RewP was not significant among the LR youth. The present findings demonstrate that the association between childhood maltreatment and blunted reward responsiveness is dependent on whether offspring have mothers with histories of MDD.

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Does Emotion Dysregulation Mediate the Relationship between Early Maltreatment and Later Substance Dependence? Findings of the CANSAS Study

European Addiction Research ◽

10.1159/000447397 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 292-300 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Sebastian Wolff ◽

Julia Holl ◽

Malte Stopsack ◽

Elisabeth A. Arens ◽

Anja Höcker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Emotion Dysregulation ◽

Substance Dependence ◽

Hierarchical Regression ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽

History Of ◽

Physical Maltreatment ◽

The Relationship

Background/Aims: Maltreatment in childhood and adolescence is a risk factor for substance use disorders (SUDs) in adulthood. This association has rarely been investigated in the light of emotion dysregulation. To fill this gap, this study examines emotion dysregulation and SUDs among adults with a history of early maltreatment. Methods: Comparison of emotion dysregulation in adults with a history of early abuse and neglect who developed either an SUD (n = 105) or no mental disorder (n = 54). Further, a mediation model for the association between the severity of early maltreatment and SUDs was tested. Participants completed research diagnostic interviews for psychopathology, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Results: By using hierarchical regression techniques and mediational analyses controlling for age and gender, it was possible to provide evidence for the mediating role of emotion dysregulation between early emotional and physical maltreatment and later SUDs. Conclusions: Emotion dysregulation is a potential mechanism underlying the relationship between early emotional and physical maltreatment and the development of SUDs. In light of these findings, focusing on the early training of adaptive emotion regulation strategies after childhood maltreatment might be of considerable relevance to prevent the development of SUDs.

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Blunted Neural Reward Responsiveness in Children With Recent Suicidal Ideation

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2167702619856341 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 958-968 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Aliona Tsypes ◽

Max Owens ◽

Brandon E. Gibb

Keyword(s):

Suicidal Ideation ◽

Initial Response ◽

Reward Processing ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

Neural Responses ◽

Reward Responsiveness ◽

Reward Positivity ◽

History Of ◽

The Difference ◽

Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors

Individuals with suicidal thoughts and behaviors experience abnormalities in reward-related processes, yet little is known about specific components or stages of reward processing that are impaired, especially in children. The primary aim of this study was to conduct an investigation of the Initial Response to Reward subconstruct of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Research Domain Criteria in relation to recent suicidal ideation (SI) in children. Participants were 23 children between the ages of 7 and 11 with a history of recent SI and 46 demographically and clinically matched children with no recent SI. Children completed a simple guessing task during which electroencephalographic signals were continuously recorded to isolate the reward positivity (RewP) event-related potential; specifically, we examined change in RewP (∆RewP), quantified as the difference between neural responses to monetary gains and neural responses to monetary losses. Children with recent SI exhibited significantly smaller (i.e., blunted) ∆RewP, providing initial evidence for blunted initial responses to reward in these children.

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Roles of Psychological Distress and Social Support in the Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment and Perceived Needs for Mental Health Care

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/08862605211006368 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 088626052110063

Author(s):

Tingting Gao ◽

Songli Mei ◽

Muzi Li ◽

Carl D’ Arcy ◽

Xiangfei Meng

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Health Care ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Perceived Needs ◽

Perceived Need ◽

History Of ◽

The Relationship

Childhood maltreatment is a major public health issue worldwide. It increases a range of health-risk behaviors, psychological and physical problems, which are associated with an increased need for mental health services in adulthood. Identification of mediating factors in the relationship between maltreatment and seeking mental health care may help attenuate the negative consequences of childhood maltreatment and promote more appropriate treatment. This study aims to examine whether the relationship between childhood maltreatment and perceived need for mental health care is mediated by psychological distress and/or moderated by social support. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health 2012 are analyzed. A total of 8,993 participants, who had complete information on childhood maltreatment and diagnoses of mental disorders or psychological distress, are included in this study. Structural equation modeling and the PROCESS macro were used to identify relationships among childhood maltreatment, perceived needs for mental health care, and psychological distress. Hierarchical linear regression was then used to verify the moderated mediation model. We found that psychological distress partially mediated the effect of childhood maltreatment on perceived needs for mental health care in adulthood. Social support played an important role in terms of moderating the relationship between maltreatment and perceived needs for care. For those with a history of childhood maltreatment, those who perceived a low level of social support were more likely to have higher levels of psychological distress and perceived need for mental health care. This is the first study to identify the separate and combined roles of psychological distress and social support in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and perceived need for mental health care. Selective prevention strategies should focus on social support to improve mental health services among people with a history of childhood maltreatment.

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The Relationship Between Childhood Emotional Abuse and Processing of Emotional Facial Expressions in Healthy Young Men: Event-Related Potential and Behavioral Evidence

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.686529 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yutong Liu ◽

Huini Peng ◽

Jianhui Wu ◽

Hongxia Duan

Keyword(s):

Facial Expressions ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Emotional Abuse ◽

Young Men ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Event Related Potential ◽

Emotional Facial Expressions ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Childhood Emotional Abuse ◽

The Relationship

Background: Individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment present with a deficiency in emotional processing in later life. Most studies have focused mainly on childhood physical or sexual abuse; however, childhood emotional abuse, a core issue underlying different forms of childhood maltreatment, has received relatively little attention. The current study explored whether childhood emotional abuse is related to the impaired processing of emotional facial expressions in healthy young men.Methods: The emotional facial processing was investigated in a classical gender discrimination task while the event-related potentials (ERPs) data were collected. Childhood emotional abuse was assessed by a Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) among 60 healthy young men. The relationship between the score of emotional abuse and the behavioral and the ERP index of emotional facial expression (angry, disgust, and happy) were explored.Results: Participants with a higher score of childhood emotional abuse responded faster on the behavioral level and had a smaller P2 amplitude on the neural level when processing disgust faces compared to neutral faces.Discussion: Individuals with a higher level of childhood emotional abuse may quickly identify negative faces with less cognitive resources consumed, suggesting altered processing of emotional facial expressions in young men with a higher level of childhood emotional abuse.

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Family history of alcohol use disorder is associated with brain structural and functional changes in healthy first-degree relatives

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2019.08.003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 ◽

pp. 107-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Irina Filippi ◽

Nicolas Hoertel ◽

Eric Artiges ◽

Guillaume Airagnes ◽

Christophe Guérin-Langlois ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Family History ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽

Functional Changes ◽

History Of

Abstract Background: Neuroimaging studies of vulnerability to Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) have identified structural and functional variations which might reflect inheritable features in alcohol-naïve relatives of AUD individuals (FH+) compared to controls having no such family history (FH-). However, prior research did not simultaneously account for childhood maltreatment, any clinically significant disorder and maternal AUD. Therefore, we mainly aimed to investigate the brain structure and reward-related neural activations (fMRI), using whole-brain analysis in FH+ young adults with no prevalent confounders. Methods: 46 FH+ and 45 FH- male and female participants had no severe childhood maltreatment exposure, neither any psychiatric disorder or AUD, nor a prenatal exposure to maternal AUD. We used a 3 T MRI coupled with a whole brain voxel-based method to compare between groups the grey matter volumes and activations in response to big versus small wins during a Monetary Incentive Delay task. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire score was used as confounding variable in the analyses to account for the remaining variance between groups. Results: Compared to FH- controls, FH+ participants had smaller grey matter volumes in the frontal and cingulate regions as well as in the bilateral nucleus accumbens and right insula. The FH+ participants’ fMRI datasets denoted a blunted activation in the middle cingulum with respect to FH- controls’ during the processing of reward magnitude, and a greater activation in the anterior cingulum in response to anticipation of a small win. Conclusions: Family history of alcohol use disorder is linked to structural and functional variations including brain regions involved in reward processes.

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Childhood maltreatment modifies the relationship of depression with hippocampal volume

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291715001415 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 45 (16) ◽

pp. 3517-3526 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

L. Gerritsen ◽

L. van Velzen ◽

L. Schmaal ◽

Y. van der Graaf ◽

N. van der Wee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Hippocampal Volume ◽

Diagnostic Interview ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

Intracranial Volume ◽

Mr Images ◽

History Of ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Background.Childhood maltreatment (CM) may modify the relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and hippocampal volume reduction. To disentangle the impact of MDD and CM on hippocampal volume we investigated the association between MDD and hippocampal volume in persons with and without a history of CM in two independent cohorts.Method.We used data of 262 participants from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) (mean age 37 years, 32% male) and 636 participants from the SMART-Medea study (mean age 61 years, 81% male). In both studies a 12-month diagnosis of MDD and CM were assessed using a diagnostic interview. Hippocampal volume was measured in NESDA using FreeSurfer software on 3-T magnetic resonance (MR) images and in SMART it was manually outlined on 1.5-T MR images. With analysis of covariance adjusted for intracranial volume, age, gender and lifestyle factors we estimated the effects of MDD and CM on hippocampal volume.Results.In both cohorts CM was not significantly associated with hippocampal volume. After pooling the data MDD was associated with smaller hippocampal volume (B = −138.90 mm3, p = 0.05) and the interaction between MDD and CM reached significance (p = 0.04); in participants with CM, MDD was related to smaller hippocampal volume (NESDA: B = −316.8 mm3, p = 0.02; SMART: B = −407.6, p = 0.046), but not in participants without CM (p > 0.05).Conclusions.Our study shows that in two independent cohorts, particularly in individuals with CM, a diagnosis of MDD is related to smaller hippocampal volume. Prospective studies are needed to further determine through which mechanism CM may amplify the relationship between MDD and hippocampal volume.

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Link between History of Childhood Maltreatment and Emotion Dysregulation in Adults Suffering from Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder

Biomedicines ◽

10.3390/biomedicines9101469 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1469

Author(s):

Eva Rüfenacht ◽

Eléonore Pham ◽

Rosetta Nicastro ◽

Karen Dieben ◽

Roland Hasler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Regulation ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Emotional Abuse ◽

Emotion Dysregulation ◽

Emotion Regulation Strategies ◽

Cognitive Emotion Regulation ◽

Emotion Reactivity ◽

History Of ◽

Regulation Strategies ◽

The Relationship

Childhood maltreatment (CM) may have a long-term effect on emotion regulation. This study aimed to explore the relationship between CM and emotion dysregulation (ED) in a heterogeneous population. Four hundred seventy French-speaking outpatients (N = 279 ADHD, N = 70 BPD, N = 60 ADHD + BPD, N = 61 clinical controls) completed the Emotion Reactivity Scale (ERS), the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ). Reports of childhood maltreatment experiences were significantly associated with increased levels of emotion reactivity in all our groups and in the whole population, with a greater use of non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and insecure attachment patterns. Emotional abuse showed the strongest effect. Further analysis indicated that an anxious attachment style significantly mediated the relationship between CM and the use of non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and emotion reactivity. The results of our study suggest an impact of CM on ED and a potentially marked effect of emotional abuse. They also indicate a potentially mediating role of insecure attachment in the relationship between a history of childhood abuse and emotion reactivity and a higher use of non-adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in adulthood.

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Long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment: Altered amygdala functional connectivity

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579415000954 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 27 (4pt2) ◽

pp. 1577-1589 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Kelly Jedd ◽

Ruskin H. Hunt ◽

Dante Cicchetti ◽

Emily Hunt ◽

Raquel A. Cowell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Healthy Development ◽

Early Stress ◽

History Of ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

AbstractChildhood maltreatment is a serious individual, familial, and societal threat that compromises healthy development and is associated with lasting alterations to emotion perception, processing, and regulation (Cicchetti & Curtis, 2005; Pollak, Cicchetti, Hornung, & Reed, 2000; Pollak & Tolley-Schell, 2003). Individuals with a history of maltreatment show altered structural and functional brain development in both frontal and limbic structures (Hart & Rubia, 2012). In particular, previous research has identified hyperactive amygdala responsivity associated with childhood maltreatment (e.g., Dannlowski et al., 2012). However, less is known about the impact of maltreatment on the relationship between the amygdala and other brain regions. The present study employed an emotion processing functional magnetic resonance imaging task to examine task-based activation and functional connectivity in adults who experienced maltreatment as children. The sample included adults with a history of substantiated childhood maltreatment (n = 33) and comparison adults (n = 38) who were well matched on demographic variables, all of whom have been studied prospectively since childhood. The maltreated group exhibited greater activation than comparison participants in the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia. In addition, maltreated adults showed increased amygdala connectivity with the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The results suggest that the intense early stress of childhood maltreatment is associated with lasting alterations to frontolimbic circuitry.

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History of Childhood Abuse and Neglect and Suicidal Behavior at Hospital Admission

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910.29.3.154 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 154-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Ana Sfoggia ◽

Marco Antonio Pacheco ◽

Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira

Keyword(s):

Hospital Admission ◽

Childhood Abuse ◽

Suicidal Behavior ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Major Public Health Problem ◽

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽

History Of Childhood ◽

Abuse And Neglect ◽

History Of

Suicide is a major public health problem. Preventive measures have been sought by identifying risk factors. This study evaluates the association of childhood abuse and neglect with suicidal behavior at the time of psychiatric hospital admission. A total of 120 subjects (72 females; mean age 42.5 ± 15.6 years old) admitted from August 2006 to July 2007 completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to assess severity of exposure to childhood maltreatment. Thereof 62 (51.6%) patients presented with suicidal behavior at admission. Patients who had attempted suicide had significantly higher CTQ scores. Regression analysis indicated that shorter illness duration and severity of childhood maltreatment were predictors of suicidal behavior at admission. The study showed that inpatients of a psychiatric unit of a general hospital who experienced severe childhood abuse or neglect were significantly more likely to present with suicidal behavior. History of childhood maltreatment should be evaluated as an associated risk factor of suicidal behavior at admission of psychiatric inpatients.

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Childhood trauma: A factor for increased risk of major depression in psoriatic patients

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.707 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S526-S527

Author(s):

M. Erfanian

Keyword(s):

Nervous System ◽

Major Depression ◽

Childhood Trauma ◽

Hpa Axis ◽

Childhood Maltreatment ◽

Life Stress ◽

Early Life Stress ◽

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽

Increased Risk ◽

History Of

A history of childhood maltreatment (CM) is an important determinant for understanding the development of psychiatric and physical disorders. CM is associated with sensitization of central nervous system (CNS) that leads to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis [1]. Early life stress is a well-known contributor to major depression [2]. The dysregulation of HPA axis and sympathetic nervous system activity also impact skin. Epidermis shows a high vulnerability to such psychological stressors resulting to increase risk for psoriasis [3]. The current study investigates the association between childhood trauma and major depression, childhood trauma and psoriasis, and also severity of major depression in female and male patients with psoriasis. Sixty-four psoriatic patients (female = 34, mean age = 46.87) were evaluated with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) for the history of CM and with the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview for the diagnosis of major depression. CM was associated with major depression, indexed by a higher CTQ in emotional (χ2(3) = 26.002, P < .0005) and physical abuse scores (χ2(3) = 23.764, P < .0005). CM limited to sexual abuse was associated with higher severity of psoriasis (χ2(3) = 9.81, P < .02). There was no indication of a difference between men and women in severity of major depression (U = 444, P = .304). Our findings highlight the importance of recognizing psychiatric comorbidity, in particular major depression, among psoriatic patients. Depressive disorder with the presence of psoriasis may constitute a separate etiology with a greater contribution of early environment.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

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