Background: Studies have shown that media exposure to critical public events can lead to secondary traumatic stress (STS). Personal trauma history, self-compassion and resilience are important factors influencing STS in healthy professionals. However, whether these variables are associated with social media-induced STS in college students and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the complex relationship linking childhood trauma to social media-induced STS in a large sample of college students.Methods: A total of 1151 Chinese college students from Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China completed a web-based cross-sectional survey, which included standard assessments of childhood trauma, self-compassion, resilience and social media-induced STS, as well as sociodemographic questionnaires. The chain mediation model was tested using the PROCESS macro programme in SPSS software.Results: There was a moderate correlation between childhood trauma and social media-induced STS (r = 0.34, p < .001). This association was significantly mediated by self-compassion (indirect effect [95% CI] = 0.14[0.11, 0.17]) and resilience (indirect effect = 0.03[0.01, 0.04]), respectively. Further, a chained mediating effect was observed with self-compassion and resilience consecutively mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and social media-induced STS (indirect effect = 0.02[0.01, 0.03]). These results persisted after sociodemographic characteristics were included as controlling variables.Conclusions: Early life trauma impacts STS induced by exposure to traumatic materials on social media through self-compassion and resilience among Chinese college students. Psychological interventions targeting self-compassion and resilience can be implemented to reduce the risk of STS, especially in vulnerable individuals.

Background: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is recognized as one of the primary factors increasing the risk of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI).Objectives: This study aims to further understand the impact of different types of CM on the mechanisms underlying NSSI risk by examining the potential mediating roles of mentalization and depression.Method: A self-report survey was conducted with 1645 Chinese youths (933 males, 712 females; mean age = 18.25, SD = 0.64) to evaluate their experiences of CM, depression, mentalization, and NSSI frequency over the past year. Structural equation modelling was utilized to examine the direct and indirect pathways linking CM to NSSI risk via mentalization and depression.Results: The study found that emotional abuse, physical abuse, mentalization, and depression had significant direct effects on NSSI risk. Moreover, mentalization and depression mediated the relationship between emotional abuse and NSSI risk, while emotional neglect and physical neglect indirectly influenced NSSI risk only through depression. Physical abuse had a significant direct effect on NSSI risk, whereas sexual abuse did not show any direct or indirect effects.Conclusions: The findings suggest that childhood emotional abuse has a markedly different impact compared to other forms of CM. Interventions focused on improving mentalization may be particularly effective in addressing the effects of emotional abuse, mitigating depression, and reducing the risk of NSSI.

Background: The body is the medium through which humans experience the world, and the body is key to most suffering, healing, and clinical mental diagnoses. Body attitude refers to the affective, cognitive, and behavioural aspects of embodiment, which typically is more negative in clinical samples.Objective: We examine how adult body attitude is associated with self-reported childhood abuse and neglect. We hypothesised that child sexual abuse is associated stronger with a negative adult body attitude than emotional or physical abuse/neglect would. Second, we expected that the association between body attitude and childhood sexual abuse was gender equivalent. Third, we expected a more positive body attitude in men than women after childhood physical abuse/neglect or emotional abuse/neglect.Method: Body attitude was measured with the Dresden Body Image Questionnaire (DBIQ-NL) and the severity and type of childhood trauma with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) in 749 Dutch adults aged 18-77. We fit multiple regression models and focused on childhood abuse and neglect with moderate to severe intensity.Results: Childhood sexual abuse (∼15%), physical neglect (∼14%), emotional abuse (∼20%) and emotional neglect (∼30%) are associated with a more negative body attitude, while childhood physical abuse (moderate/severe, ∼6%) associated with a slightly more positive adult body attitude. Body attitude associations with childhood abuse/neglect were similar for both genders (no moderation).Conclusion: Child maltreatment seems to precede the development of a more negative adult body attitude and more negative body experiences compared to individuals without child maltreatment.

Background: Dissociative symptoms are suggested to compete with the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic treatment and frequently co-occur with early life trauma and self-harm patterns, including self-injury, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts, which are characteristic for borderline personality disorder (BPD).Objective: We explore the connections between dissociation and other BPD features like self-harm and childhood traumatization and examine the impact of trait dissociation on both immediate and follow-up psychotherapy outcomes.Method: In this naturalistic prospective evaluation study, we investigated psychopathology including general psychological distress (SCL-90), depression (BDI-II), and borderline-specific pathology (BSL) in 131 patients with BPD pre and post of a certified 8-week inpatient Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), as well as 3- and 6-month post inpatient treatment. Prior to therapy, we evaluated trait dissociation (Dissociative Experience Scale), early life trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), and self-harm patterns (clinical interview). We performed a network analysis to explore the interplay between dissociation, self-harm, and childhood traumatization. To analyse the influence of dissociation on treatment outcomes, we employed linear mixed models.Results: Psychopathology (SCL-90, BDI-II and BSL) exhibited significant reductions at post-treatment and follow-up assessments when compared to baseline measurements. Higher levels of trait dissociation were consistently related to higher psychopathology but did not suggest poorer symptom reduction during DBT. However, trait dissociation predicted reduced 6-month follow-up benefits from DBT, regardless of the baseline symptom burden. The network analysis revealed a close association between self-injury and derealization/depersonalization, while the frequency of suicide attempts was more closely connected to childhood emotional abuse, which was identified as a central node of the network.Conclusions: Dissociation was not related to poorer outcomes regarding inpatient DBT. However, trait dissociation predicted reduced follow-up benefits, highlighting the need to address dissociation during psychotherapeutic interventions. Based on the estimated network structure, treating dissociative symptoms could potentially mitigate self-injury while especially childhood emotional abuse was linked with suicide attempts.

Background: Approximately 70% of individuals globally experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetimes, potentially leading to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Understanding the development of PTSD and devising effective prevention and treatment strategies are crucial. This proof-of-concept study aimed to design a concise tree-based adaptive test using the Classification and Regression Trees (CART) framework to predict PTSD development.Methods: Utilizing data from a longitudinal neuroimaging study, adult trauma survivors were enrolled from local hospital emergency departments within 48 h of experiencing trauma. Participants who completed psychological evaluations within 2 weeks post-trauma and a PTSD diagnosis assessment at 3 months were included in the analytic sample (n = 143). A total of 131 features including demographic, trauma-related, and behavioural and clinical symptoms were collected during this initial two-week post-trauma period. The performance of the CART model was benchmarked against two of the most powerful and widely used machine learning algorithms in the field, Random Forest (RF) and Gradient Boosting (GB) models.Results: The CART model, which incorporates just three critical questions from established assessments, predicted PTSD development with performance closely matched to that of the RF and GB models. The CART model achieved an accuracy of 0.641 and an AUC of 0.663, which showed only slightly worse performance compared to the RF and GB models. Its efficiency in utilizing a minimal set of questions for prediction highlights its potential for practical application in early PTSD detection and intervention strategies.Conclusion: The CART framework demonstrates a streamlined and efficient method for predicting PTSD onset in trauma survivors. While showing promise for practical application, further validation and refinement are necessary to enhance its predictive performance and establish its broader utility in early intervention strategies.

Research on stress has demonstrated that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis contributes to major depressive disorder in youth. Hair glucocorticoids are key biological markers of chronic stress. We assessed group differences in hair cortisol and cortisone concentrations, and the cortisol/cortisone ratio between depressed adolescent women and a non-depressed comparison group. Further, within the depression group, we explored the contribution of symptom severity and clinical correlates of depression in relation to glucocorticoid concentrations. Hair samples of three centimeters for 74 adolescent women (41 in the depression group and 33 in the comparison group), aged between 12 and 19 years old, were analyzed. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured using the Beck Youth Inventory II and clinical correlates of depression were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children. No significant differences emerged between the depression group and the comparison group on hair cortisol or hair cortisone concentrations. However, groups differed significantly on the cortisol/cortisone ratio, a proposed proxy of 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity, with a higher ratio for the depression group. Within the depression group, neither symptom severity nor clinical correlates were associated with glucocorticoid concentrations. Although cross-sectional, our findings highlight the importance of future studies to test whether the group difference found in cortisol/cortisone ratio is the result of alterations in 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzymes (type 1 or 2) activity. Further research is thus needed to clarify the role of these enzymes in major depressive disorder in youth and to develop more targeted intervention strategies.

Background: The functional impairment resulting from CPTSD symptoms is enduring and far-reaching. Existing research has found that CPTSD symptoms are closely associated with childhood maltreatment; however, researchers debate whether CPTSD symptoms are predominantly influenced by a specific type of childhood maltreatment or the combined influence of multiple maltreatment types.Objective: (1) Examines the impact of childhood maltreatment on CPTSD symptoms, specifically exploring whether specific types of maltreatment or the cumulative exposure to multiple types of maltreatment play a predominant role. (2) Investigates the role of positive psychological traits in this relationship, assessing whether these traits serve as protective factors or are outcomes of the negative psychological consequences of maltreatment.Methods: A sample of 1894 adolescents (Mage = 13.88; SD = 1.00) from a chronically impoverished rural area in China completed the International Trauma Questionnaire - Child and Adolescent Version for CPTSD symptoms, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form for childhood maltreatment types. Positive psychological traits, including mindfulness, self-compassion, and gratitude, were measured using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form, and the Gratitude Questionnaire. We addressed the research question using explainable machine learning methods, with SHAP enhancing model interpretability.Results: The findings indicate that emotional abuse is the most effective predictor of CPTSD symptoms, with individuals who experienced emotional abuse showing higher rates of other forms of maltreatment. Among positive psychological traits, mindfulness contributes the most, followed by self-compassion, while gratitude shows no significant association with CPTSD symptoms. Additionally, individuals with poor positive psychological traits are more likely to have experienced maltreatment, whereas those with higher positive traits are less exposed to abuse.Conclusions: Emotional abuse and low levels of positive psychological traits are strongly associated with CPTSD symptoms in adolescents from impoverished areas, with positive traits showing limited buffering effects against maltreatment.

This paper examines demographic, structural, and syndemic variables to map facilitators and barriers to accessing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) in the three largest cities in Canada, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Focusing on factors in the later stages of the PrEP cascade, this study first performed a logistic regression analysis and reports adjusted odds ratios, then entered statistically significant social indicators into a network analysis to profile the interrelated and sometimes mutually reinforcing social conditions that shape inequitable access to PrEP among Canadian GBM. Barriers to accessing a gay-friendly health care provider (HCP) and financial barriers remain primary nodes associated with inequitable PrEP access. These two nodes are, in turn, linked to other social indicators: experiencing stigma from an HCP, being less likely to be out to an HCP (most common among bisexual and queer men), and not being able to find an HCP accepting of their sexuality (most common among Indigenous, Black, and some other GBM of colour). The cost of PrEP was also a barrier, especially for less educated and un- or under-employed GBM, as well as newcomers to Canada, who more often lacked insurance for medications. These findings point toward the importance of having a primary HCP and finding an HCP who is culturally competent regarding the sexualities of gay and bisexual men, queer and trans people. These barriers may also explain other social inequities experienced by Black, Indigenous, and other GBM of colour, and by people who do not have health insurance that covers all or most of the cost of PrEP. This pattern of inequitable access to PrEP points toward the urgency of providing universal access without financial barriers (currently available in some Canadian provinces but not others) and supporting access points with a reputation for welcoming GBM in their full diversity.

The experience of child maltreatment (CM) is associated with a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in adulthood. However, the underlying mechanisms are still largely unclear. This study investigated two prominent theoretical models on suicidal ideation and behavior to examine potential pathways: the Integrative Motivational-Volitional (IMV) model and the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS).

306 psychiatric inpatients (mean age = 36.9 years, 53.6 % female) admitted to psychiatric hospitals after an acute suicidal crisis (n = 145) or a recent suicide attempt (n = 161) were examined shortly after admission and three follow-up points over 12 months using validated measures of CM, suicidal ideation and behavior, defeat, entrapment, and capability for suicide with its subdimensions fearlessness about death (FAD) and pain tolerance (PT). Serial mediation and moderated moderation analyses were conducted to test the proposed pathways.

Results showed positive associations between all CM subtypes and current suicidal ideation. The relationship between CM and suicidal ideation was indirectly mediated by defeat alone and in combination with entrapment, supporting the IMV model. Contrary to IPTS assumptions, CM did not increase capability for suicide, and there was almost no significant interaction between CM and the subdimensions of capability for suicide (FAD and PT) in moderating the transition from suicidal desire to intent to attempt.

The study provides support for the IMV model while questioning certain IPTS assumptions regarding the relationship between CM and suicidal ideation and behavior in adulthood.

The association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and problematic internet use (PIU) in adolescents has received increasing attention. However, item-level associations between ACEs and PIU remained underexplored. This study utilized network analysis to explore these complex interactions and enhance understanding of the linking pathways.

From November to December 2021, 6685 Chinese adolescents aged 11-20 self-reported their internet use through the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ). ACEs were assessed via the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and the Adverse Childhood Experiences-International Questionnaire. An ACE-PIU network was constructed based on the Ising model, with centrality and bridge centrality indices calculated. Network stability and accuracy were assessed using a case-dropping bootstrap procedure. The Network Comparison Test was applied to examine gender and age differences.

Among participants, 52.2 % were boys and the mean age was 14.5 years. Network analysis identified PIU2 ("need for increased online time"), PIU5 ("staying online longer than intended"), and PIU6 ("risking significant relationships/opportunities due to internet use") as central nodes in the ACE-PIU network model. Additionally, ACE6 ("household mental illness") and ACE2 ("emotional abuse") within the ACE cluster, along with PIU8 ("using the internet to escape problems") and PIU7 ("lying about internet use") within the PIU cluster, emerged as bridge nodes linking the ACE and PIU clusters. No significant differences in network structures or global strengths were observed across gender or age groups.

The identification of central and bridge nodes within the ACE-PIU network provides insights regarding the potential pathways linking ACEs to PIU among Chinese adolescents.

Many risk factors for suicidal behavior (SB) in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are present before the onset of psychosis or are associated with specific phases of illness. We aim to investigate the trajectories of SB from before the onset of psychosis until the first start of treatment in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP).

A total of 252 patients with first-episode SSD were recruited, out of which 224 had complete SB data. They participated in clinical interviews and self-report questionnaires during their first treatment. We assessed SB in three time periods: Before the onset of psychosis, during untreated psychosis, and at treatment start (study baseline). We used K-mean cluster analyses to identify trajectories of SB over these periods.

Four trajectories of SB were identified: persistent low/no SB (n = 114, 51 % of 224), increasing mild/moderate SB (n = 54, 24 %), severe SB during untreated psychosis (n = 25, 11 %), severe persistent SB (n = 31, 14 %). With "persistent low/no SB" as a reference group, all other groups had significantly more depressive symptoms at baseline. The duration of untreated psychosis was significantly longer in the group with "severe SB during untreated psychosis". Clinical insight subscale scores differed between the trajectory groups. Also, the "severe persistent SB" group reported more emotional abuse and total childhood trauma than the "increasing mild/moderate SB" group.

Our findings suggest the presence of different pathways to SB in FEP. More knowledge about these pathways can support the development of tailored preventive strategies in this patient group.

BDD and OCD symptoms often co-occur, but the associations between specific symptoms remain unclear. Furthermore, current research suggests that the clinical presentation of emotional disorders can differ in individuals who self-report exposure to trauma, but it is unclear whether this extends to BDD and OCD. The current study aimed to: (a) investigate associations between individual OCD and BDD symptoms and (b) determine whether symptom networks differ in those with self-reported trauma compared to those without self-reported trauma.

Participants (N = 3127) were drawn from the Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression (GLAD) Study and had completed validated self-reported questionnaires to assess BDD and OCD symptoms, and childhood and adulthood experiences of trauma. Network analysis was used to investigate associations between seven BDD symptoms and six OCD symptom domains. Networks of reporters and non-reporters of lifetime trauma were compared using the network comparison test.

BDD and OCD symptoms clustered distinctively with some bridging associations between them. The strongest bridging edges highlighted an association between three core BDD symptoms and the OCD domain of obsessional thoughts. BDD and OCD networks of reporters and non-reporters of lifetime trauma did not differ.

Cross-sectional design, meaning causality cannot be inferred.

The findings suggest that BDD and OCD symptoms cluster distinctively, with some bridging associations between core BDD symptoms and obsessional thoughts. Future research is needed to understand the mechanisms underpinning this relationship.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous mental health condition, characterized by diverse symptom profiles and biological underpinnings. A dissociative subtype of PTSD has been identified, though the potential risk factors and underlying neurobiology are yet to be understood. The current study comprised Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and Veterans with a history of deployment, and with diagnoses of non-dissociative (n = 31) and dissociative subtypes of PTSD (n = 19), in addition to non-deployed healthy controls (n = 14). Participants completed questionnaires assessing clinical symptoms and experiences of trauma, and provided saliva and blood samples for cortisol and inflammatory marker assessments. Individuals with dissociative PTSD displayed elevated PTSD and depression symptom severity, and greater reports of specific forms of childhood trauma compared to individuals with non-dissociative PTSD and controls. Morning cortisol was elevated in both PTSD groups compared to controls, however the PTSD groups did not differ from one another. Evening cortisol concentrations were elevated in both PTSD groups compared to controls, and in the dissociative PTSD subtype compared to the non-dissociative PTSD subtype when controlling for depression symptoms. PTSD diagnostic group moderated the relationship between awakening cortisol levels and PTSD symptom severity, such that the non-dissociative PTSD group displayed a negative correlation between awakening cortisol levels and PTSD symptom severity, while no significant relation was identified in the dissociative PTSD group. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels did not differ across diagnostic groups when accounting for body mass index (BMI). However, CRP positively correlated with depressive symptoms only among individuals with dissociative PTSD. Together, examining PTSD subtypes may help inform more effective and personalized treatment strategies in the future.

Childhood maltreatment represents a strong psychological stressor that may lead to the development of later psychopathology as well as a heightened risk of health and social problems. Despite a surge of interest in examining behavioral, neurocognitive, and brain connectivity profiles sculpted by such early adversity over the past decades, little is known about the neurobiological substrates underpinning childhood maltreatment. Here, we aim to detect the effects of childhood maltreatment on whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in a cohort of healthy adults and to explore whether such RSFC profiles can be used to predict the severity of childhood trauma in subjects based on a data-driven connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM). Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data were acquired from 97 healthy adults, each of whom was assessed for childhood maltreatment levels using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF). CPM was used to examine the association between whole-brain RSFC and childhood maltreatment levels. The results showed that CPM was able to decode individual childhood maltreatment levels from RSFC across multiple neural systems including RSFC between and within limbic and prefrontal systems as well as their connectivity with other networks. Key nodes contributing to the prediction model included the amygdala, prefrontal, and anterior cingulate regions that have been linked to childhood maltreatment. These results remained robust using different validation procedures. Our findings revealed that RSFC among multiple neural systems can be used to predict childhood maltreatment levels in individuals.

This study investigates the predictive effect childhood abuse on aggression of adolescents with ADHD, focusing on the mediating role of Executive function. Random sampling was used to select adolescents from five schools in Baltim City, Egypt from January to April 2024 as the research subjects. A total of 180 participants aged 12-15 years (mean= 13.10 and SD = 4.56) were included in the analyses. Questionnaires were used to collect data. This study mainly explored the relationship between childhood abuse, executive function, and reactive and proactive aggressive behavior among adolescents. The results of comparing the scores of the top 27% and the bottom 27% of childhood abuse experience showed that the reactive, proactive aggression, and executive dysfunction questionnaire scores of the high childhood abuse group were higher than those of the low childhood abuse group.

Sleep disturbances are common in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and are associated with a poor prognosis and symptom severity. Research findings on sleep abnormalities in individuals with BPD have been inconsistent, with limited evidence linking subjective and objective measures.

We compared 44 women with BPD with 41 healthy controls. We examined differences (using ANCOVAs and ordinal logistic regression) and associations (using correlations) between objective sleep assessment (polysomnography) and subjective measures (Consensus Sleep Diary, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). We explored predictors of insomnia in BPD patients, including BPD severity, symptomatology, comorbid conditions, and medication use, via standard least squares regressions and ANOVAs.

A total of 22% of patients with BPD had clinically significant insomnia (cut-off ≥ 15), 85% reported mild (subthreshold) insomnia (cut-off > 10) (Insomnia Severity Index; ISI), and 94% reported sleep quality disturbances (PSQI > 5). Compared with those in HC, PSG results in individuals with BPD revealed a longer duration in bed, longer sleep period, REM latency, wake after sleep onset latency, Stage N1 sleep duration, shorter N2 sleep duration, and, with age, more arousals and awakenings. The correlations between objective and subjective sleep measures were weak in both groups. In patients with BPD, a greater degree of insomnia predicted a reduction in total sleep time and increased awakenings and arousals on PSG. Clinical BPD severity, emotional reactivity and dysregulation, depression symptoms, posttraumatic stress symptoms, alexithymia, and presleep arousal were associated with greater insomnia in BPD patients.

Our study confirmed high rates of insomnia and sleep disturbances in individuals with BPD, which contrasted with relatively minor PSG alterations. Clinical BPD severity and symptomatology are associated with sleep abnormalities in individuals with BPD. Insomnia is a neglected yet important characteristic of the BPD phenotype, warranting more attention in future research and clinical guidelines.

Childhood trauma is associated with development of depression, yet a comprehensive investigation into the relationship between childhood trauma and depression severity, as well as cognitive impairment and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) levels remains to be fully explored.

A total of 97 patients undergoing first-diagnosed, drug-naïve depression and 60 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited in this study. The evaluation included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), Beck depression inventory (BDI), Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), Repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS) scores and n-3 PUFAs levels.

Emotional abuse (p < 0.000), sexual abuse (p = 0.002) and CTQ total scores (p = 0.001) were significantly higher in first-diagnosed, drug-naïve depressed patients compared to healthy controls. Additionally, depressed patients with a history of childhood trauma exhibited higher scores on HAMA (p = 0.043), SAS (p = 0.009) and BDI (p = 0.032), along with lower eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels (p = 0.025). Subsequent analysis revealed positive correlations between CTQ total score and HAMA (p = 0.0389), SAS (p = 0.0112), HAMD (p = 0.0398) and BDI scores (p = 0.0323), and negative correlations with EPA level (p = -0.2843) and delayed memory (p = 0.0444), as determined by Pearson correlation analysis.

We report for the first time that first-diagnosed drug-naïve patients experienced more severe childhood trauma than healthy controls. Furthermore, depressed individuals with a history of childhood trauma exhibited more pronounced clinical characteristics of depression and lower level of EPA. Notably, childhood trauma was associated with depression severity, delayed memory impairment and lower EPA levels.

Research on childhood psychological maltreatment lags behind that on other forms of childhood maltreatment. While it has been identified as a significant predictor of depression, the specific underlying mechanisms linking its subtypes (emotional abuse and emotional neglect) to depression remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between childhood psychological maltreatment and its subtypes and depression from both emotional factors (self-compassion) and cognitive factors (perceived negative attention bias), as well as the gender differences.

Using a questionnaire survey, a total of 587 college students completed the self-report questionnaires, including childhood psychological maltreatment and its subtypes, self-compassion, perceived negative attention bias, and depression. This study used structural equation models to examine the serial mediating role and gender differences by Amos 24.0.

Childhood psychological maltreatment and its subtypes positively predicted depression. Self-compassion played a mediating role between childhood psychological maltreatment and its subtypes and depression. Perceived negative attention bias played a mediating role between childhood psychological maltreatment and emotional abuse and depression, but not significantly between emotional neglect and depression. Self-compassion and perceived negative attention bias played a serial mediating role between childhood psychological maltreatment (including its subtypes) and depression. There were no gender differences in the mediating role.

Self-compassion and perceived negative attention bias played distinct roles in the association between childhood psychological maltreatment, its subtypes, and depression. A serial mediating role of self-compassion and perceived negative attention bias was observed in the associations between overall psychological maltreatment, emotional abuse, and depression. In contrast, in the case of emotional neglect, only self-compassion served as a mediator. These findings enlighten us that psychological interventions enhancing self-compassion and reducing negative attention bias may help mitigate depression in college students exposed to childhood psychological maltreatment, particularly emotional abuse. Conversely, interventions focused on increasing self-compassion may be more effective in reducing depression in those exposed to emotional neglect.

Adversity in childhood is robustly associated with persistent pain in adulthood. Neuro-immune interactions are a candidate mechanistic link between childhood adversity and persistent pain, given that both childhood adversity and persistent pain are associated with neural and immune upregulation in adulthood. As such, we aimed to clarify whether immune reactivity is associated with provoked differences in nociceptive processing in humans. Pain-free adults (n=96; 61 female; median (range) age: 23 (18-65) years old) with a history of mild to severe childhood adversity underwent psychophysical assessments before and after in vivo neural provocation (high-frequency electrical stimulation) and then, separately, in vivo immune provocation (influenza vaccine administration). Psychophysical assessments included the surface area of secondary hyperalgesia after neural provocation and change in conditioned pain modulation (test stimulus: pressure pain threshold; conditioning stimulus: cold water immersion) after immune provocation. Immune reactivity was assessed as IL-6 and TNF-alpha expression after in vitro lipopolysaccharide provocation of whole blood. We hypothesised associations between immune reactivity and (1) childhood adversity, (2) induced secondary hyperalgesia, and (3) vaccine-associated change in conditioned pain modulation. We found that provoked expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was not statistically associated with childhood adversity, induced secondary hyperalgesia, or vaccine-associated change in conditioned pain modulation. The current findings from a heterogenous sample cast doubt on two prominent ideas: that childhood adversity primes the inflammatory system for hyper-responsiveness in adulthood and that nociceptive reactivity is linked to inflammatory reactivity. This calls for the broader inclusion of heterogeneous samples in fundamental research to unpack the psychoneuroimmunological mechanisms underlying vulnerability to persistent pain.

Long-term health effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include cognitive decline that occurs later in life. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), recognized as an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease, may present an essential period for intervention in populations with ACEs.

This review aims to explore the associations between ACEs and SCD, while examining the potential moderating effects of sociodemographic factors METHODS: A systematic search of four databases (Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science) was conducted from inception to July 2024. Eligible studies included adults with a history of ACEs and self-reported SCD. In total, twelve studies were included, primarily using U.S.-based samples, with sample sizes ranging from 46 to over 195,000 participants.

The evidence of a dose-response relationship highlights the link between ACEs and SCD. The risk of SCD increases among adults over 65, lower-income groups, and sexual minorities. However, gender differences were inconsistently observed across studies. Mental health conditions, particularly depression is a significant risk factor.

Early screening and intervention for SCD among individuals with high ACE exposure may help delay the progression to severe cognitive impairment. However, the reliance on cross-sectional studies and high risk of bias limit causal inferences. Future research should explore longitudinal studies with diverse populations to clarify causal pathways and the role of sociodemographic factors in the ACE-SCD relationship.

This study aimed to investigate the potential differences in childhood trauma (CT), theory of mind (ToM), a significant component of social cognition, and alexithymia in bipolar disorder (BD) patients and healthy controls. The study included 50 BD patients who met the study criteria and were under follow-up at our clinic along with 50 healthy controls. The two groups were matched for age, gender, and educational status. A sociodemographic questionnaire, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Dokuz Eylul Theory of Mind Index (DEZIKO), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were applied to all participants. The CTQ-Total, TAS total, and DEZIKO total scores were significantly higher in the BD group compared to the healthy group (p < .001). A significant positive correlation was identified between the TAS total score and CTQ physical neglect (r = 0.472, p = .001), CTQ emotional neglect (r = 0.449, p = .001) and CTQ total scores (r = 0.5, p < .001) in the BD group. A statistically significant negative correlation was identified between the DEZIKO faux pas score and the CTQ physical neglect score (r = -0.437, p = .002). BD patients had more adverse childhood experiences, lower ToM abilities despite being in remission, and more pronounced alexithymic personality features compared to healthy controls. We also identified a relationship between ToM, alexithymia, and adverse childhood experiences in BD.

Childhood maltreatment has profound and long-lasting effects, not only on the victims but also on their offspring when they become parents later in life. This study aimed to investigate the role of two key mediating factors-parental reflective functioning and perceived social support-in the relationship between maternal childhood maltreatment and children's emotional and behavioral problems. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Iran from March to June 2024. Mothers of preschool children (4-6 years old) with emotional or behavioral problems (N = 222; Mean age = 34.06 ± 4.2 years) completed measures of Childhood maltreatment Questionnaire (CTQ), Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ), Perceived Social Support (PSS), and children's emotional and behavioral outcomes, as assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The SDQ includes subscales for emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the conceptual model. The results revealed that childhood maltreatment had no direct association with children's emotional and behavioral problems. However, childhood maltreatment was positively and indirectly related to children's emotional and behavioral problems (including emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, and peer relationship problems) and negatively and indirectly related to children's prosocial behavior. These associations were mediated through pre-mentalizing modes of parental reflective functioning. Additionally, the analysis revealed no significant mediating role of perceived social support in this relationship. The findings highlight the significant indirect association between childhood maltreatment and various aspects of children's emotional and behavioral problems through pre-mentalizing modes of parental reflective functioning. This underscores the critical role of enhancing parental reflective abilities to mitigate the adverse outcomes of childhood maltreatment on children's emotional regulation and behavioral adjustment.

Research literature has illustrated a substantial relationship between the variables of emotional schema (ES), suppression (S), and reappraisal (R) with childhood trauma (CT) and obsession (O). In addition, it has not been studied from the perspective of the mediating function of the variables mentioned above in the association between CT and O, both in the clinical and the non-clinical populations. As a result, this study was carried out to investigate the mediating roles of ES, S, and R in the association between CT and O within the non-clinical setting.

681 Iranian students responded to CTQ-SF, ERQ, LESS-II, and OCI-R. The structural equation model method has been utilized to investigate the mediation of variables.

Results indicated that CT had a positive relationship with ES, S, and O and a negative relationship with R. Findings illustrated the full mediation of the study model, affirming the roles of ES and R as mediators and rejecting the role of S as a mediator in the connection between CT and O.

The present study used cross-sectional analysis and self-report questionnaires, investigated the model in a non-clinical population, and exhibited gender imbalance in its sample.

Current research is essential because therapeutic interventions should focus on R and modifying ES in CT survivors instead of emphasizing S and CT to prevent or reduce O.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a well-established risk to major depressive disorder (MDD) worldwide. However, most previous research has predominantly examined single imaging modalities, ignoring the potential impact of aberrant couplings between cerebral perfusion and neuronal activity in MDD psychopathology. This study aims to investigate alterations of neurovascular coupling (NVC) in CM-related MDD.

A cross-sectional study recruited 59 MDD with CM, 36 MDD without CM, 23 healthy controls with CM, and 45 healthy controls without CM. For each participant, NVC was calculated using cerebral blood flow and regional homogeneity. Main and interactive effects were determined using two-way ANCOVA, and correlations between aberrant NVC and clinical measurements were explored via post-hoc partial correlation analyses. Furthermore, support vector machine was applied to assess the diagnostic value of NVC abnormalities in pairwise classifications.

NVC analyses identified significant main effects of MDD in the visual, temporal, sensorimotor, and reward-related areas, alongside notable main effects of CM in sensorimotor areas. In the sensory-motor circuit, including the fusiform area, lateral prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and supramarginal gyrus/angular gyrus, MDD × CM interactive effects were observed. These aberrant NVCs correlated with the severity of CM or depression, particularly with physical neglect and cognitive disorder. Importantly, these aberrant NVCs facilitated effective pairwise classifications of CM-related MDD.

These results underscored the vulnerability of sensory-motor circuit NVC to CM in MDD patients, shedding insights into the psychopathology of MDD and its potential classification implications.

Mentalizing is linked to mental health development and psychosocial functioning. Identifying and understanding the factors that may be associated with ineffective mentalizing is crucial for creating targeted psychosocial or psychotherapeutic interventions.

This exploratory study assesses whether experiences of childhood maltreatment, along with attachment insecurity and epistemic mistrust, are associated with limitations in mentalizing abilities.

A total of 382 primarily young adults from different universities completed questionnaires about their childhood maltreatment experiences (retrospectively assessed), attachment insecurity, epistemic mistrust, and ineffective mentalizing, using a cross-sectional study design. All participants were pursuing a degree in educational fields.

Structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypothesized framework.

There were significant positive associations between experiences of childhood maltreatment, epistemic mistrust (β = 0.32 [0.17-0.46], p = .001), and attachment insecurity (β = 0.29 [0.18-0.40], p < .001). Epistemic mistrust fully mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and ineffective mentalizing (β = 0.17 [0.08-0.28], p = .001). However, attachment insecurity did not mediate this link.

This exploratory study sheds light on the development of mentalizing impairments, though it is limited by its cross-sectional nature, reliance on self-reporting, and the uniformity of the sample with mainly female, primarily young adults from different universities. The preliminary findings suggest the role of attachment insecurity might have been overemphasized previously. Moreover, the link between childhood maltreatment and mentalizing deficits appears more intricate, as it was fully mediated by epistemic mistrust in this study. The findings support the notion of addressing epistemic mistrust in psychosocial interventions designed to improve mentalizing abilities that have been compromised.

Elevated anxiety and uncertainty avoidance are known to exacerbate maladaptive choice in individuals with affective disorders. However, the differential roles of state vs. trait anxiety remain unclear, and underlying computational mechanisms have not been thoroughly characterized. In the present study, we investigated how a somatic (interoceptive) state anxiety induction influences learning and decision-making under uncertainty in individuals with clinically significant levels of trait anxiety. A sample of 58 healthy comparisons (HCs) and 61 individuals with affective disorders displaying elevated anxiety symptoms (iADs; i.e., anxiety and/or depression) completed a previously validated explore-exploit decision task, with and without an added breathing resistance manipulation designed to induce state anxiety. Computational modeling revealed a significant group-by-condition interaction, such that information-seeking (i.e., directed exploration) in HCs was reduced by the anxiety induction (Cohen's d=.47, p=.013), while no change was observed in iADs. The iADs also showed slower learning rates than HCs across conditions (Cohen's d=.52, p=.003), suggesting their uncertainty decreased more slowly over time. These findings highlight a complex interplay between trait anxiety and state anxiety. Specifically, state anxiety may attenuate reflection on uncertainty in healthy individuals, while familiarity with anxious states in those with high trait anxiety may create an insensitivity to this effect.

Child maltreatment (CM), including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and neglect, has been consistently linked to various mental illnesses. Research directly comparing self-reported versus agency-reported CM, however, is limited, especially with official mental health services use.

This study compared associations between hospital admissions and community mental health service use for mental illness in self-reported versus agency-reported CM.

Agency-reported CM from 0 to 15 years was linked to an Australian birth cohort via administrative record linkage, and self-reported CM was collected at 30-year follow-up.

The sample included 2392 individuals. Self-reported CM was significantly associated with admissions for any type of mental illness (ORadj = 2.84, 95%CI 1.95-4.13), psychotic disorders (ORadj = 3.26, 95%CI 1.79-5.95), and common mental disorders (ORadj = 3.38, 95%CI 2.13-5.36), as well as increased community mental health service use (ORadj = 3.66, 95%CI 2.43-5.52). Agency-reported CM was only associated with admissions for any type of mental illness (ORadj = 2.36, 95%CI 1.32-4.21), and increased community mental health service use (ORadj = 2.91, 95%CI 1.62-5.25).

Self-reported CM showed higher effect sizes with higher degrees of certainty with all forms of mental illness service use compared to agency-reported CM, highlighting the need to consider both in future research.

Childhood maltreatment is a common and severe form of stress associated with compromised functioning in women including emotion regulation difficulties and eating behaviors associated with negative health outcomes. Although pregnancy is a sensitive period for women's health, mechanisms by which childhood maltreatment may drive eating behaviors during pregnancy remain unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if emotion regulation difficulty was a mechanism by which women's childhood maltreatment leads to emotional, external, and restraint eating during pregnancy and which types of maltreatment drive these associations.

Women (N = 446) were recruited during pregnancy based on experiences of pregnancy stress, including intimate partner violence. They reported on history of childhood maltreatment and emotion regulation difficulties and eating behaviors in pregnancy. We tested if emotion regulation difficulties mediated associations between childhood maltreatment and emotional, external, and restraint eating in pregnancy.

Maternal childhood maltreatment was associated with greater emotion regulation difficulties and, in turn, greater severity of emotional, external, and restraint eating during pregnancy. Emotional abuse and neglect were each positively associated with emotion regulation difficulties and, in turn, all three eating behaviors.

Emotion regulation difficulties may be a mechanism by which childhood maltreatment leads to emotional, external, and restraint eating during pregnancy. Interventions should address emotion regulation difficulties in women with histories of childhood emotional maltreatment and neglect as a way to mitigate these eating behaviors in pregnancy.

The correlation between depressive symptoms and internet addiction in adolescents is strengthened, and childhood trauma is an important predictor of internet addiction. However, the mechanism of childhood trauma on internet addiction in adolescents with depression remains unclear. This study investigates the current status and factors influencing internet addiction in adolescents with depression and further examines whether insomnia and alexithymia mediate childhood trauma and internet addiction in adolescents with depression.

This study investigated 300 adolescent patients in 7 hospitals in Anhui province. General demographic characteristics such as age and gender were collected. The clinical characteristics of the patients were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form (CTQ-SF), Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). PROCESS (Model 4) was used to examine the mediating effects of insomnia and alexithymia.

The prevalence of internet addiction among adolescents with depression was 50.2%. There were statistically significant differences between the internet addiction group and the non-internet addiction group in terms of relationships with classmates, relationships with teachers, family relations, and economic status. The total score of CTQ and its five subscale scores were significantly and positively correlated with the total score of IAT. Insomnia and externally oriented thinking (EOT) played a significant mediating role in the effect of physical neglect (PN) on internet addiction.

Insomnia and alexithymia play a significant mediating role between childhood trauma and internet addiction in adolescents with depression, which expand the existing understanding of internet addiction in adolescents with depression, and provide some theoretical references to address the problem of internet addiction in adolescents with depression and prevent the development of adolescent depression.

Childhood maltreatment and HIV are both associated with a greater risk for adverse mental health, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and increased systemic inflammation. However, it remains unknown whether childhood maltreatment and HIV interact to exacerbate PTSD, depression, and inflammation in a manner that may further increase the risk of adverse health outcomes in people living with HIV. This study investigated the interaction between childhood maltreatment and HIV status on PTSD and depression symptom severity, and on peripheral concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in women. We hypothesized that women living with HIV (WLWH) who report high levels of childhood maltreatment exposure would show the greatest PTSD and depressive symptoms, as well as the highest concentrations of LPS and hsCRP.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 116 women (73 WLWH and 43 women without HIV). Participants completed interviews to measure trauma exposure, including childhood maltreatment, and PTSD and depression symptoms. They also provided blood samples that were analyzed for LPS and hsCRP concentrations.

Both women living with and without HIV reported high rates of trauma exposure and showed no statistically significant differences in overall rates of childhood maltreatment. Moderate to severe childhood maltreatment was associated with higher PTSD symptom severity (p =.005), greater depression severity (p =.005), and elevated plasma LPS concentrations (p =.045), regardless of HIV status. There were no effects of childhood maltreatment on hsCRP concentrations. There were no detectable significant effects of HIV status, or interactions between HIV status and childhood maltreatment, on PTSD and depression symptoms, or LPS and hsCRP concentrations (all p's > 0.05).

Our findings highlight the impact of childhood maltreatment on depression and PTSD symptoms and LPS concentrations in women. These results underscore the importance of trauma-informed health care in addressing childhood maltreatment to potentially improve both mental and physical health outcomes of adult women.

Background: The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is widely used, but retrospective self-report measures may be susceptible to bias especially in the context of pathology. Therefore, we aimed to validate the CTQ in the context of reduced psychopathology following trauma-focused treatment. Methods: We analyzed 149 outpatients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to childhood abuse. Participants received one of three variants of prolonged exposure. The CTQ was administered at baseline and six months later. The internal consistency of the CTQ was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, inter-item and item-total correlations. Convergent validity was assessed with the clinician administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). The consistency of CTQ scores over time was analyzed using linear mixed models and intra-class correlation coefficients. Results: Most CTQ subscales demonstrated high internal consistency and satisfactory inter-item and item-total correlations except for physical neglect and minimization/denial subscales. CTQ subscales physical and sexual abuse exhibited adequate convergent validity with the CAPS-5. None of the CTQ subscales mean score changed significantly from baseline to follow-up. Agreement between the baseline and follow-up assessment within-persons was moderate at item-level but good at subscale-level except for subscale minimization/denial. Minimization/denial at baseline and change in symptomatology during treatment were not significantly related to change in CTQ subscale scores. Conclusions: These findings support the use of the CTQ subscales to retrospectively assess childhood maltreatment.

Adolescent health-risk behaviors are prevalent and tend to co-occur. This study aimed to identify patterns of health-risk behaviors among Chinese adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the effects of individual and social factors on health-risk patterns.

This cross-sectional study investigated 1607 adolescents from four high schools in 2021 through stratified cluster random sampling. Latent class analysis was conducted to identify patterns of health-risk behaviors and logistic regression was used to examine the risk and protective factors of latent class membership.

Four latent classes were identified: "Low risk" (81.6%), "Problematic Internet use" (7.8%), "Alcohol use" (8.5%), and "High risk" (2.1%). Relative to the "Low risk", adolescents with higher levels of sensation seeking, deviant peer affiliation, and childhood abuse were more likely to be assigned to the "Problematic Internet use" class, while those with high degrees of parental monitoring and school connectedness were less likely to be in the "Problematic Internet use" class. Those with higher levels of sensation seeking and deviant peer affiliation, lower scores of parental monitoring and school connectedness were more likely to be assigned to the "Alcohol use" class, compared to the "Low risk". Students in the "High risk" class were more likely to report higher levels of sensation seeking, deviant peer affiliation, and childhood abuse, but lower degrees of parental monitoring and school connectedness than the "Low risk" class.

This study identified patterns of multiple risk behaviors among Chinese high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that multi-level individual and social factors affected latent classes of adolescent health-risk behaviors. These findings provide clues for designing effective interventions to reduce health-risk behaviors among adolescents.

Childhood trauma alters both emotional and relational processes, and thus could make it more difficult for couples to navigate relationship challenges such as sexual disagreements. Given the potential threat they involve, sexual conflicts may elicit more negative emotions for both partners. They can also trigger attachment insecurities-relational vulnerabilities that are particularly heightened during periods of stress, especially following childhood trauma. Hence, attachment anxiety and avoidance might be mechanisms through which childhood trauma influences couples' emotion dynamics during sexual conflicts. However, we know very little concerning how emotions unfold moment to moment in the context of couples' sexual disagreements, and the roles of childhood trauma and attachment insecurities therein. Same- and mixed-gender/sex couples (N = 151) completed online surveys and took part in a laboratory-based filmed discussion about their most important sexual problem. Following the discussion, participants completed self-reported measures of their positive and negative emotions. Then, partners independently viewed their filmed discussion to continuously report on their emotional experience during the conflict and, lastly, trained raters coded the valence of participants' expression of emotions during the task. Actor-partner interdependence models showed that a person's greater childhood trauma was associated with fewer positive emotions post-discussion and shorter experienced and expressed positive emotions during the conflict, as well as more negative emotions post-discussion and longer experienced and expressed negative emotions, both directly and indirectly via attachment anxiety (but not attachment avoidance). Results underscore the need to better understand sexuality-related positive and negative emotions in couple interactions, and the role of distal factors such as childhood trauma and attachment.

Social anxiety has become a common psychological problem that seriously affects the mental health of contemporary youth. Although numerous studies have shown that childhood trauma is closely related to social anxiety in adulthood, the mediating role of evaluation of fear in this relationship remains unclear. This study aims to explore the relationships among childhood trauma, evaluation fear, and social anxiety among college students and their internal pathways.

In September 2023, a sample of 559 Chinese university students aged 18-22 years (mean age = 20.20, SD = 1.211; 229 males and 330 females) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale, and Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Correlation analyses were conducted to explore the initial relationships among the main variables. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine the parallel mediating effects of fear of positive and negative evaluation on the relationship between childhood trauma and social anxiety.

Significant correlations were found among childhood trauma, social anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and fear of positive evaluation. Childhood trauma significantly and positively predicted both fear of positive evaluation (β = 0.40, p < 0.001) and fear of negative evaluation (β = 0.31, p < 0.001). Fear of positive and negative evaluation also positively predicted social anxiety (β = 0.45, p < 0.001; β = 0.43, p < 0.001, respectively). The parallel mediation effects of fear of positive and negative evaluation on the relationship between childhood trauma and social anxiety were significant (effect size: 0.309, 95% CI = [0.240, 0.380]), with the mediation effects accounting for 60.78% of the total effect.

Fear of positive and negative evaluation plays a mediating role in the impact of childhood trauma on social anxiety. This finding provides a new perspective for understanding the formation mechanism of social anxiety and offers a scientific basis for developing effective intervention strategies.

The study aims to examine the network structures of childhood trauma (CT) and psychotic symptoms in patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Specifically, it seeks to elucidate how different dimensions of CT influence symptoms across FES and TRS.

289 patients with FES and 50 patients with TRS were assessed using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Partial correlation was used to elucidate the network connections between CT and symptoms in FES and TRS patients. Betweenness, closeness coefficient, and community detection were further calculated to investigate the interactions between CT and psychotic symptoms.

The analysis revealed three key findings: (1) Symptom-trauma networks differ between FES and TRS patients; (2) Based on network analysis, CT in TRS forms tight interlinks, as evidenced by a larger value of closeness coefficient, which influences psychotic symptoms in TRS compared to FES. Sexual abuse plays a vital role in the TRS network while emotional neglect is more important in FES; and (3) The divergent community structures suggest distinct pathways through which CT and symptoms in FES and TRS patients. Specifically, in the FES symptom-CT network, CT influences the symptoms through traditional symptom patterns, while in TRS the pathway cannot be divided by traditional divisions and it involves a complex manner.

The findings suggest that the pathways linking childhood trauma experiences and clinical symptoms differ between FES and TRS patients, providing valuable insights into how early traumatic stress may contribute to symptom evolution in schizophrenia.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant issue in young adult relationships, with immediate and long-term health and well-being consequences. The factors contributing to IPV are complex and span from the level of individual neurobiology to the wider socioecological system. The interplay across these domains in predicting IPV has been understudied. We, therefore, aimed to examine the factors contributing to IPV risk among young adults, adopting a holistic approach considering direct and indirect contributions of socioecological influences in a cohort of high-risk subjects. Data were from a longitudinal birth cohort established in 1991 comparing the developmental trajectories of individuals prenatally exposed to substances including cocaine and nonexposed individuals. Using data from a subsample of 206 participants followed between 2010 and 2020, we implemented path analysis to examine direct and indirect pathways between prenatal drug exposure (PDE) and young adult IPV. We considered the contributions of childhood maltreatment, maternal education, ethnicity, early adolescent substance use, and late adolescent executive function. Sex-specific effects were also explored. There were no significant direct or indirect associations between PDE and IPV. There was evidence of an indirect effect of low maternal education on IPV via effects on early adolescent substance use and subsequent effects on executive function in late adolescence. There was tentative evidence of an effect of ethnicity on IPV risk and of sex differences in the pathways contributing to IPV risk among males and females. We highlight the importance of executive function in young adult IPV risk and suggest considering maternal education and early adolescent substance use as additional contributors to IPV risk. Preventing IPV among young adults may involve enhancing executive functioning and preventing early substance misuse. When examining pathways contributing to IPV risk, it is necessary to adopt a framework integrating the wider socioecological environment.

Schizoid personality disorder (SPD) is among the most enduring forms of personality pathology. Research suggests that one factor associated with schizoid pathology is childhood maltreatment, although it is unclear which specific experiences of childhood maltreatment may be most impactful. In this study, we examined associations between different experiences of childhood maltreatment (e.g. physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and physical and emotional neglect) and schizoid pathology in a sample of men and women recruited online (N = 327) using a Bayesian approach to structural equation modeling. Results suggest that emotional neglect had the strongest association with schizoid pathology over and above other forms of maltreatment and other traumatic life events. Findings further indicate that emotional and physical neglect as well as other negative life events are associated with schizoid pathology in men but only emotional abuse is associated with schizoid pathology for women. These findings provide support for the influence of childhood maltreatment on schizoid pathology and have implications for future research and clinical intervention.

Musician's dystonia is the most common form of focal task-specific dystonia and is suggested to be the result of dysfunctional communication among sensory-motor networks. Thus far, few functional connectivity studies have investigated musician's dystonia specifically, leaving its exact pathophysiological mechanisms unclear. The goal of this study was to verify connectivity findings from other task-specific dystonias on a large sample of musician's hand dystonia patients and to analyze associations with possible adverse childhood experiences, a suggested risk factor for dystonia.

Forty professional musicians suffering from musician's hand dystonia and a matched control group of healthy musicians underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and answered the childhood trauma questionnaire. Using a seed-to-whole brain approach, functional connectivity alterations between motor cortices, the prefrontal cortex, the basal ganglia and the thalamus were analyzed.

Musician's dystonia patients showed increased functional connectivity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with the putamen and the pallidum, especially in right-side affected patients. Patients further displayed increased connectivity of the left thalamus and the right lateral premotor cortex. No associations between functional connectivity, duration of disorder and childhood adversity were observed.

The findings are consistent with previous research, highlighting the pathophysiological importance of the basal ganglia. Altered resting-state functional connectivity may reflect underlying neuroplastic changes in musicians with dystonia that lead to an altered flow of information, disrupting movement inhibition. Involvement of the dorsolateral prefrontal and premotor cortices further suggests that motor disturbances occur in the early planning phase of a movement. The findings indicate that a holistic re-training approach with and without the instrument could be beneficial for regaining motor control.

The concept of epistemic trust is gaining traction in the mental health field. Epistemic trust is thought to play a foundational role as a resilience factor against the development and maintenance of psychopathology by fostering social learning. The primary aim of this study was to validate the French-language version of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ). We further sought to replicate previously reported associations with key developmental and psychological factors (childhood trauma, mentalizing and attachment) and test for epistemic trust's potential mediating roles between childhood traumatic experiences and psychopathology, and between loneliness and psychopathology. A total of 302 participants were recruited via the online survey platform Prolific. Confirmatory factor analysis and generalized linear models of mediation were conducted. Our findings suggest that the ETMCQ is a valid instrument to assess epistemic trust in the French language. Satisfactory psychometric properties were found to replicate the original three-factor solution in a Francophone population with a 12-item version of the questionnaire, with criterion-related validity similar to that previously published in validations of the ETMCQ in other languages. We also replicate previous findings reporting differential associations between epistemic stances (trust, mistrust and credulity) and attachment dimensions and styles, while also replicating mediation analyses showing the role of epistemic stances in the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and psychopathology. Finally, we report preliminary evidence suggesting that epistemic trust mediates the well-described association between loneliness and psychopathology. Future research should investigate the ETMCQ in clinical populations in which psychopathological expressions are severe, enduring and co-occurring, where identifying potential mediators could help target and personalize psychosocial interventions.

Previous research has identified growing up in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) as a protective factor against childhood abuse and neglect compared to growing up in the former Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). This study investigates whether these differences persist among individuals born after German reunification, providing a novel focus on the post-unification generation and the possible transgenerational transmission of childhood maltreatment in Germany.

The prevalence of self-reported abusive and neglected childhood experiences among 17- to 31-year-olds, stratified by gender and socio-political context (East/West), was examined using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Data of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KIGGS-study) between 2014 and 2017 was used. Logistic regression models were used to assess the influence of covariates such as age, subjective social status, and education on childhood trauma experiences.

Altogether, 18.6% (East = 15.8%/ West = 19.0%) of the N = 5,982 participants reported at least one type of maltreatment. The prevalence of at least moderate abuse was found to be 6.8% (East = 5.8%/West = 7.0%) for emotional, 3.7% (East = 2.4%/West = 3.9%) for physical, and 3.3% (East = 1.9%/West = 3.6%) for sexual abuse, and a prevalence of 9.2% (East = 8.5%/West = 9.3%) for emotional and 8.7% (East = 7.4%/West = 8.9%) for physical neglect. Individuals residing in eastern German regions reported significant lower prevalence rates for sexual and physical abuse, as well as overall maltreatment.

Significant regional disparities in childhood maltreatment were observed among individuals raised in post-unification Germany, suggesting the persistence of sociopolitical influences from the former GDR as a protective factor. These findings underscore the importance of understanding transgenerational transmission factors of childhood maltreatment, such as parenting behaviors within differing sociopolitical contexts. The results have important implications for child welfare policies, emphasizing the need to address regional disparities and to incorporate historical and sociopolitical factors into future research and intervention strategies.

Previous research highlights inconsistent associations between premorbid hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, often neglecting the critical role of childhood trauma (CT) in civilian populations. To address this gap, our study investigates the predictive value of HCC for PTSD symptoms following a motor vehicle crash (MVC), extending our prior findings by assessing CT as a moderator within a sample that includes participants with and without CT. We hypothesize that pre-MVC HCC is positively associated with PTSD risk and that this relationship is moderated by early adversity. We examined N = 272 participants with a traumatic brain injury aged 18-65 years who experienced a MVC between 2010 and 2020. Cortisol concentrations were determined in 3 cm scalp-near segments of hair samples that were obtained at the emergency room shortly after the MVC (t1). Participants completed measuring instruments capturing symptoms of posttraumatic stress (Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale [PDS]; Impact of Event Scale-Revised [IES-R]) and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). PDS and IES-R were re-collected three months post-MVC (t2). Elevated pre-MVC HCC predicted PTSD symptoms (p < 0.05), emphasizing the role of chronic stress and HPA axis dysregulation in PTSD. Contrary to our hypothesis, CT did not moderate this relationship, suggesting that HCC's impact on PTSD is independent of early adverse experiences. In this context, CT emerged as an independent predictor of PTSD at the 3-month follow-up, underscoring its lasting influence on psychological trauma vulnerability, particular in the face of recent adversity. Our study confirmed that elevated pre-MVC HCC levels predict PTSD symptoms. Although childhood trauma did not moderate this relationship, it independently predicted PTSD at follow-up. These findings underscore the lasting impact of early adversity on mental health, highlighting the importance of considering both HPA axis regulation and trauma history to develop targeted interventions for adults exposed to new stressors.

In the realm of public health, late human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis remains prevalent and is associated with neuropsychiatric adverse events. However, there is limited documentation regarding the impact of late HIV diagnosis (LD) on brain integrity, neurotrophic factors, endocrine function, and immunity in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM).

Participants (38 LD and 34 non-LD of MSM) underwent comprehensive infectious disease and psychiatric assessments, multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, neurotrophic factors, endocrine, and immunological evaluations. Immune cell levels, along with peripheral plasma concentrations of neurotrophic factors and hormones, were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and flow cytometry, respectively. T1-weighted images along with resting-state functional MRI were applied to assess brain function and structure while also examining correlations between imaging alterations and clinical as well as peripheral blood variables. The data for this study originated from a subset of the cohort in HIV-associated neuropsychiatric disorders research.

Compared to participants in the non-LD group, those in the LD group showed a lower total gray matter volume (GMV), with reduced GMV primarily observed in the left supramarginal gyrus. Participants in the LD group exhibited differences in brain function with certain regions and decreased functional connectivity between these altered regions and connected structures. A two-way factorial analysis of variance examining the main effects and interactions between groups and neuropsychiatric disorders revealed significant main effects of LD on specific brain regions. Furthermore, we found that individuals in the LD group had higher levels of cortisol, a lower frequency of central memory T cells, and elevated expression levels of perforin in double-negative T cells. These imaging findings were significantly correlated with endocrine, immune, and clinical variables.

This study suggests that LD may contribute to brain injury, endocrine disruption, and immune dysregulation in HIV-positive MSM. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop public health strategies targeting late diagnosis, with a focus on strengthening screening and early detection for high-risk populations, as well as monitoring brain injury, endocrine, and immune functions in individuals with LD, and formulating precise, individualized intervention strategies to reduce the long-term impact of LD on the health of HIV-positive MSM.