Does childhood trauma predict schizotypal traits? A path modelling approach in a cohort of help-seeking subjects

Schizotypy constitutes a susceptibility to beneficial and deleterious schizotypal traits, ranging from coping mechanisms to schizotypal personality disorder on a psychosis continuum. Growing evidence indicates a relationship between childhood adversity and trauma and schizotypy. However, the exact influence of childhood adversity and trauma on schizotypy and its relation to sex is not sufficiently understood. Therefore, we investigated sex-adjusted connections between childhood adversity and trauma subdomains (emotional/physical/sexual abuse, emotional/physical neglect) and positive (magical ideation, perceptual aberration) as well as negative schizotypy (physical/social anhedonia). In total, 240 outpatients of the Early Detection and Intervention Centre of the University Hospital Cologne were assessed with the Trauma and Distress Scale for childhood adversity and trauma and the Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales for schizotypy. Path analyses were performed to investigate sex-adjusted correlations. The well-fitting path model of the total sample linked emotional abuse to magical ideation (p = 0.03; SE = 0.20) and emotional neglect to social anhedonia (p = 0.01; SE = 0.26). In females, physical abuse predicted magical ideation (p = 0.01; SE = 0.33), while emotional neglect forecasted physical anhedonia (p = 0.03; SE = 0.34) and social anhedonia (p = 0.03; SE = 0.32). In males, sexual abuse predicted perceptive aberration (p = 0.04; SE = 0.19) and emotional abuse forecasted magical ideation (p = 0.03; SE = 0.27). Overall, the significance of sex-specific interrelations between trauma and schizotypy were highlighted. Magical ideation and perceptive aberration occurred prominently in the absence of negative and disorganized schizotypy, thus positive schizotypy could be discussed as a beneficial expression of coping with emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Furthermore, emotional neglect should be addressed particularly to prevent deleterious negative schizotypy in females.Trial registration number (20-1243), date of registration (May 19th 2020), retrospectively registered.

Oxytocin modulates neural reactivity in women to emotional stimuli of children depending on childhood emotional neglect

Sensitivity for rewarding cues and distress signals from children are fundamental to human caregiving, and modulated by the neuropeptide oxytocin. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study we investigated whether oxytocin regulates neural responses to reward or distress cues form children. In a placebo controlled within-subject design we measured neural responses to positive, negative and neutral cues from children in 22 healthy female subjects who received oxytocin (24 IU) vs. placebo. Further, based on current literature, we hypothesized that oxytocin effects are modulated by experiences of childhood trauma. The task elicited valence specific effects, positive images activated the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, left anterior cingulate cortex and right putamen, and images of children in distress the bilateral amygdala, hippocampus and right medial superior frontal cortex. The effects of oxytocin depended on subjective reports of childhood emotional neglect. Self-reported neglect interacted with oxytocin administration in the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal areas. In individuals with higher scores of emotional neglect, oxytocin increased neural reactivity of limbic structures to positive and neutral images. Our findings need replication in larger samples but are in line with the recent literature on the modulating effect of childhood adversity on the sensitivity to OXT administration.

Maltreatment in Childhood and Perceived Partner Responsiveness in Adult Romantic Relationships: A Dyadic Daily Diary and Longitudinal Study

This study examined the associations between childhood maltreatment (CM) and the mean-level of perceived partner responsiveness (PPR; the extent to which individuals feel cared for, understood, and validated by their partner) over 35 days, the day-to-day variability in PPR, and the initial levels and trajectories of PPR over 1 year in community couples. Both members of 228 couples completed a self-reported measure of CM and provided daily reports of PPR over 35 days and retrospective reports of PPR at three time points over 1 year. A person’s greater CM was related to a lower mean level of PPR over 35 days and to a lower initial level of their own PPR. A person’s sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect had an effect over and above other forms of CM in these associations. A person’s greater CM was also related to higher day-to-day variability in their own and their partner’s PPR, and a person’s greater emotional neglect was associated with a sharper decrease over time in their own PPR. These findings provide a more fine-grained understanding of how CM may affect the perceptions of being cared about, accepted, and validated by a partner on a daily basis and over time.

Childhood Emotional Neglect Is Associated With Low Social Support in Chinese Patients With Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Previous studies have shown that childhood maltreatment (CM) is closely associated with social support in the general population. However, little is known about the associations of different types of CM with social support in Chinese patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), which was the goal of the current study.Methods: One hundred and sixty-six patients with moderate-to-severe MDD were enrolled. Participants were assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-28 item Short Form, Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), the 24-item Hamilton rating scale for depression, and the 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Correlation analysis and Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis were adopted to investigate associations of types of CM with social support.Results: (1) Physical neglect (PN) and emotional neglect (EN) were the most commonly reported types of CM in patients with MDD. (2) EN was the only type of CM significant in the regression models of the SSRS total score, the score of subjective support, and the score of utilization of support.Limitations: The data of CM was collected retrospectively and recall bias may be introduced. Assessment of CM and social support were self-reported and could be influenced by the depression status.Conclusion: In Chinese patients with MDD, PN and EN are the most prevalent types of CM. EN is the only type of CM associated with low social support in regression models, calling for special attention in the assessment and intervention of EN.

Linking gene expression patterns and brain morphometry to trauma and symptom severity in patients with functional seizures

ObjectiveAdverse life experiences (ALEs) increase the susceptibility to functional (somatoform/dissociative) symptoms, likely through neurodevelopmental effects. This analysis aimed to illuminate potential genetic influences in neuroanatomical variation related to functional symptoms and ALEs in patients with functional seizures.MethodsQuestionnaires, structural brain MRIs and Allen Human Brain Atlas gene expression information were used to probe the intersection of functional symptom severity (Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire, SDQ-20), ALE burden, and gray matter volumes in 20 patients with functional seizures.ResultsFunctional symptom severity positively correlated with the extent of sexual trauma, emotional neglect, and threat to life experiences. In voxel-based morphometry analyses, increased SDQ-20 scores related to decreased bilateral insula, left orbitofrontal, right amygdala, and perigenual and posterior cingulate gray matter volumes. Left insula findings held adjusted for psychiatric comorbidities. Increased sexual trauma burden correlated with decreased right posterior insula and putamen volumes; increased emotional neglect related to decreased bilateral insula and right amygdala volumes. The sexual trauma–right insula/putamen and emotional neglect– right amygdala relationships held adjusting for individual differences in psychiatric comorbidities. When probing the intersection of symptom severity and sexual trauma volumetric findings, genes overrepresented in adrenergic, serotonergic, oxytocin, opioid, and GABA receptor signaling pathways were spatially correlated. This set of genes was over-expressed in cortical and amygdala development.ConclusionALEs and functional symptom severity were associated with gray matter alterations in cingulo-insular and amygdala areas. Transcriptomic analysis of this anatomical variation revealed a potential involvement of several receptor signaling pathways.

Association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors: mediating and moderating influences in childhood trauma and life events among Chinese adolescents

Background This study investigated an association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors in Chinese adolescents, and explored the underlying mechanism. Methods The data of 3094 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years were collected from an epidemiological survey in China. All the subjects or their parents completed the Achenbach’s Child Behavior Checklist, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Adolescent Self-rating Life Event Checklist (ASLEC). Results Relative to the non-schizoid group, adolescents with schizoid tendencies (male or female) showed significantly higher scores for aggressive behaviors, emotional abuse, and ASLEC. Regarding females only, those with schizoid tendencies had significantly higher (lower) scores for physical abuse and emotional neglect (physical neglect). The aggressive behaviors score was predicted by scores for schizoid tendencies (βmale = 0.620, βfemale = 0.638, both P < 0.001) and ASLEC (βmale = 0.125, βfemale = 0.061, both P < 0.01), and by childhood trauma score (males: emotional neglect [β = 0.045, P = 0.021]; females: emotional abuse and sexual abuse [β = 0.118 and − 0.062, both P < 0.01]). The ASLEC and childhood trauma scores mediated the association between scores for schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors, specifically, emotional neglect (emotional abuse and sexual abuse) in males (females). In females, the interaction between scores for childhood trauma and ASLEC affected the aggressive behaviors score (P = 0.023). Conclusions Schizoid tendencies are associated with aggressive behaviors among Chinese adolescents. Recent life events and childhood trauma mediated an association between schizoid tendencies and aggressive behaviors. The interaction between childhood trauma and recent life events affected aggressive behaviors in females. Aggressive behaviors in adolescents may be ameliorated by reducing childhood trauma and life events.

Child Maltreatment and The Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 for Older Adults

Traumatic experiences in early life impact adults’ well-being and their abilities to respond to adversities over the life course. Child maltreatment is a particularly salient stressor in childhood and scholars have noted the psychological implications of such experiences that extend into late life. People who experienced maltreatment in childhood have more difficulty maintaining and developing high quality relationships, regulating their emotions, and they engage in poorer coping behaviors amidst major stressors. Our study focuses on how child maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse; physical abuse; sexual abuse; emotional neglect) shaped older adults’ changes in depression during the early stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Using a dataset released in 2021, based on a community sample of older adults collected in September 2018 and June 2020, we found that exposures to emotional neglect (1.630; p &lt; 0.001) and emotional abuse (0.670; p &lt; 0.05) in childhood were both associated with increases in depression scores in association with the pandemic, relative to those without such exposures. In addition, the more forms of maltreatment that individuals were exposed to in childhood, the more they experienced negative psychological health consequences in association with the pandemic. Our results suggest that early life traumas play a role in how older adults respond to stressful situations. Clinical treatments for depression may be more effective if they take into consideration how these early life experiences influence exposures to new stressors in later life.

“Pieces of life” - Tajana’s growing up in Sunčana Škrinjarić’s trilogy Ulica predaka [The Street of Ancestors], Ispit zrelosti [Test of Maturity] and Bijele strijele [White Arrows]

This paper analyses the growing up of Tajana, a fictional character in unhealthy family surroundings as depicted in Sunčana Škrinjarić’s (1931 – 2004) trilogy: The Street of Ancestors (1980), Test of Maturity (2002), and White Arrows (2004). The main controversy of the trilogy is the presentation of a childhood without didacticism, moral lessons, or idealization; a childhood which is more unhappy than protected and joyful. By breaking settled rules and taboos, Škrinjarić created her own, recognizable style of narration. This study will particularly focus on Tajana’s relationship with her mother and the girl’s emotional development, which can be interpreted in light of childhood trauma. Tajana’s mother is an educated, beautiful, and coquettish woman who does not love her daughter. She sees the girl only as a “redundant little brat”, a reminder of her broken first marriage, and an obstacle to happiness in life. Hitting Tajana, pulling her hair, and essentially ignoring all her needs, she can be labelled a bad mother who fails to fulfil the duties of her role: being present and protective, as well as providing for her daughter’s well-being and upbringing. Tajana’s experience of emotional neglect and emotional and even physical abuse from her mother in her childhood results in the girl’s problems in building firm and healthy relationships in her adult life.