Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a public health issue affecting mental and physical well-being of individuals across the lifespan. The literature so far suggests that CM is a risk factor for the...Show moreChildhood maltreatment (CM) is a public health issue affecting mental and physical well-being of individuals across the lifespan. The literature so far suggests that CM is a risk factor for the development and severity of EDs in adulthood. This study aims to build upon and update the findings of Molendijk et al. (2017) by integrating both pre-2016 and post-2016 literature on the relationship between all types of CM (physical, sexual, and emotional) and all types of EDs. A random-effects meta-analysis with moderator analyses was performed to assess the associations between all types of CM and all types of ED, focusing on their prevalence, severity, and related comorbid conditions. The prevalence of CM was consistently and significantly higher in ED patients (18.4- 57.7%) than in healthy controls (7.2-29.2%) and mostly higher compared to psychiatric controls (21.2 - 31.1%). The odds of developing EDs were significantly elevated in individuals exposed to CM, with ORs ranging from 2.81 to 4.60. CM exposure was associated with greater severity of EDs (r = .21, 95% CI [0.10, 0.32], p < .001) and was also associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety (r = .19, 95% CI [0.11, 0.26], p < .001). Additionally, we found that CM exposure significantly increased the likelihood of comorbid mental health disorders in patients with EDs compared to non-exposed counterparts (ORs 1.15 to 3.96), with the strongest associations observed for Axis I disorders, especially depression and anxiety. Moderator analyses revealed that recent studies reported slightly higher CM prevalence in AN samples. Sample size influenced the sexual CM-BED relationship (R2 =0.42, p =.04), and higher study quality was linked to lower prevalence rates (R2 = 0.07, p < .001), though these factors explained only a small part of the heterogeneity. Our findings highlight that all types of childhood maltreatment (physical, sexual, and emotional) are associated with a range of EDs in adulthood and influence both the severity and course of EDs.Show less
Individual differences are thought to underlie how someone reacts to threat, some people tend to fight-or flight, others tend to freeze. These reactions to threat are often measured by looking at...Show moreIndividual differences are thought to underlie how someone reacts to threat, some people tend to fight-or flight, others tend to freeze. These reactions to threat are often measured by looking at the autonomic nervous system response in a threat conditioning paradigm. There has been a focus in the literature on the sympathetic reaction, but now the importance of also looking at the parasympathetic responses has become more evident, especially with regard to resilience in developing anxiety-related psychopathology. Childhood maltreatment is likely to be an individual factor that can influence threat conditioning. In this study we used a large sample size (n=174) in which we included both sympathetic (skin conductance responses) and dominantly parasympathetic (heart rate) measures in a threat conditioning paradigm to test whether threat learning can be reflected in both branches of the autonomic nervous system. We also aimed to replicate the findings of Jaswetz et al., (2023) with regard to the coherence of these two branches. Additionally, we investigated the possible influence of childhood maltreatment on sympathetic and parasympathetic reactions within the same threat conditioning paradigm. Indeed, we found that threat learning is successful on parasympathetic measures. We were not able to replicate the findings of Jaswetz et al., (2023) in which a possible pattern of the sympathetic and parasympathetic responses was found. Furthermore, our results suggest that more severe childhood maltreatment does not affect responses in a threat conditioning paradigm, neither on sympathetic nor parasympathetic measures. In conclusion we can say that our study sheds new light on the influence of childhood maltreatment in threat learning since our results suggest that threat learning is not affected by prior experiences of childhood maltreatment when tested in a large sample size.Show less
Background: Childhood maltreatment is a serious issue, leading to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorder (ED) symptoms. A proposed mediator is intolerance of uncertainty (IU),...Show moreBackground: Childhood maltreatment is a serious issue, leading to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorder (ED) symptoms. A proposed mediator is intolerance of uncertainty (IU), composed of inhibitory and prospective IU, which are differentially related to different symptom profiles. Preliminary research shows that inhibitory IU is associated with PTSD symptoms, while prospective IU with ED symptoms. However, these mechanisms have been scarcely studied, and even less so in relation to childhood maltreatment, which the current study aims to do. Methods: This cross-sectional, self-report study used a non-clinical community sample (N = 413), to assess whether inhibitory and prospective IU differentially mediate childhood maltreatment, PTSD and ED symptoms using scores on IUS-12, CTQ-SF, PCL-5, and EDEQ-SF. Two mediation analyses were done with childhood maltreatment as predictor, inhibitory and prospective IU as parallel mediators and PTSD, respectively ED symptoms as outcomes. Results: Childhood maltreatment was significantly positively associated with PTSD and ED symptoms, and both inhibitory and prospective IU. Only inhibitory IU was further significantly positively associated with PTSD and ED symptoms. Thus, inhibitory IU is a partial mediator between childhood maltreatment and both PTSD and ED symptoms, while prospective IU is not, partly supporting our hypotheses. Conclusion: Histories of childhood maltreatment facilitate an attentional bias to threat and fear of uncertainty. Trauma-related symptoms are alleviated through cognitive avoidance and the fear of uncertainty leads to action paralysis. PTSD and ED symptoms therefore develop and are maintained through inhibitory IU. Clinical interventions should tackle this aspect of IU in maltreated populations.Show less
Individuals who have a history of early life adversity in their childhood often show impairments in a broad range of cognitive functioning and behavioral adaptation. This deficit could potentially...Show moreIndividuals who have a history of early life adversity in their childhood often show impairments in a broad range of cognitive functioning and behavioral adaptation. This deficit could potentially be due to the impairment in associative learning. To explore this possibility, this paper examined whether early life adversity affects people’s punishment sensitivity, an essential part of associative learning, using a healthy sample. In total, 188 participants completed a volatile probabilistic learning task online that required them to learn from the feedback, update the association as well as adjust their behaviors in different social conditions (social vs. non-social) and block types (stable vs. volatile). This paper that early life adversity is related to a more total game loss, but not related to the percentages of choosing the stimulus with a lower probability of loss. Participants show a positive bias in general while addressing the effect of early life adversity. Furthermore, this paper found that participants with higher early life adversity may show reduced punishment sensitivity, but only when they think they are interacting and learning about other people. No such interaction association was observed between early life adversity, feedback shown, and block types. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that early life adversity might influence people’s punishment sensitivity in the social context. It provides insight for further research regarding basic learning mechanisms.Show less
Up to a third of children experience childhood maltreatment (CM), which is abuse and/or neglect by a caregiver. CM is a robust risk factor for depression, and adolescent depressive symptoms seem to...Show moreUp to a third of children experience childhood maltreatment (CM), which is abuse and/or neglect by a caregiver. CM is a robust risk factor for depression, and adolescent depressive symptoms seem to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study therefore investigated whether childhood maltreatment was associated with a further increase in adolescent depression in response to the pandemic, and what role self-esteem and loneliness play in this association. We examined depressive symptoms before (up to March 2020) and during the pandemic (April 2020), in a sample of 79 adolescents (16-26 years old) of which 67.1% were female and non were non-binary (REACT study; Smith et al., 2021). We found that CM was predictive of depression during the pandemic, but not of depression before the pandemic, nor of an increase in depressive symptoms. Furthermore, we found that loneliness was a significant mediator of the relationship between CM and depression during the pandemic, whereas self-esteem was found to be an independent predictor of depression increase. Based on these findings depression prevention/intervention programs are advised to identify CM survivors and to target loneliness and low self-esteem.Show less
The current study aimed to investigate whether having been quarantined/ isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic is associated with perceived stress in students in the Netherlands, even after the...Show moreThe current study aimed to investigate whether having been quarantined/ isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic is associated with perceived stress in students in the Netherlands, even after the initial quarantine/ isolation period. Additionally, it was explored whether having a history of childhood maltreatment moderated this relationship. A sample consisting of 2475 participants, of whom 1881 were female and 594 were male, was recruited using convenience sampling. Participants were asked to fill in several questionnaires, among which a shortened version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS_10), a shortened version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) and questions concerning the Covid-19 pandemic. Having been quarantined/ isolated and having experienced childhood maltreatment were hypothesized to be associated with a heightened perceived stress level. Further, having a history of childhood maltreatment was hypothesized to have an effect on the relation between quarantine/ isolation and perceived stress. Regression analyses revealed significant effects of both quarantine/ isolation and childhood maltreatment on perceived stress. A moderation analysis showed that this association was not moderated by childhood maltreatment. Thus, the findings confirmed the first as well as the second hypothesis. However, the third hypothesis could not be confirmed within this study. This study contributes to a growing body of research concerning mental health effects of Covid-19 measurements. It stresses potential long-term effects in students and the need for future research to explore underlying mechanisms of the findings.Show less
Introduction: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a highly prevalent issue in our society that includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse, as well as physical and emotional neglect. CM can lead to...Show moreIntroduction: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a highly prevalent issue in our society that includes physical, emotional and sexual abuse, as well as physical and emotional neglect. CM can lead to various negative consequences, such as dissociation. Known subtypes are amnestic dissociation, absorption and depersonalization/derealization. There is ample empirical evidence supporting sexual and physical abuse leading to dissociation, but rarely do studies focus on all facets of the variables. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the different types of CM and dissociation taking post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a mediator into account. Methods: Using an online self-report survey, CM, dissociation and PTSD were assessed cross-sectionally among a sample recruited on online platforms for domestic violence via Leiden University (N=432). Obtained data were analyzed by performing a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and mediation analysis (PROCESS macro). Results: The results support the notion to use all subscales of both variables, as sexual abuse and physical neglect were significantly associated with amnestic dissociation, while sexual abuse, physical neglect and emotional abuse were significant predictors of derealization/depersonalization; physical neglect had a significant relationship with absorption. PTSD was a significant mediator but it did not fully explain the link between CM and dissociation. Discussion: Future studies should focus on using clinical samples and longitudinal designs to gain deeper knowledge into therapeutic implications. Integrating the findings of our paper is an important step to better understand the types of CM, dissociation and the importance of PTSD.Show less
Introduction: childhood maltreatment (CM) is a prevalent worldwide problem. CM is linked to mortality, morbidity and many pervasive short-and long-term consequences during life. There are...Show moreIntroduction: childhood maltreatment (CM) is a prevalent worldwide problem. CM is linked to mortality, morbidity and many pervasive short-and long-term consequences during life. There are indications that the way children respond to CM have important implications, some behavioral emotion regulation strategies have the potential to buffer against psychopathology, others can actually amplify risk. Hence, this study cross-sectionally investigated whether there would be an association between types of CM (specifically emotional abuse, emotional neglect and/or physical abuse) and the behavioral emotion regulation strategies withdrawal and/or seeking distraction. Methods: behavioral coping styles and childhood trauma was assessed using an online survey among a sample from the general population (N = 599). Simple regression analyses and hierarchical regression analyses was performed to explore the association between CM and withdrawal and/or seeking distraction. Results: CM positively predicted withdrawal. Co-occurrence of multiple forms of CM did not specifically predict more withdrawal and/or seeking distraction. Discussion: although not all hypotheses were confirmed, current findings may contribute to existing data as well to research in the future. Some of the current findings were in line with earlier research, other findings in contradiction to current literature. Limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed to increase knowledge about the possible associations between CM and behavioral emotion regulation strategies by which knowledge, prevention and interventions can be improved.Show less
Introduction: Traumatic experiences may lead to pathological dissociation. Three components of dissociation can be distinguished: absorption, depersonalization, and amnesia. Especially maltreated...Show moreIntroduction: Traumatic experiences may lead to pathological dissociation. Three components of dissociation can be distinguished: absorption, depersonalization, and amnesia. Especially maltreated children are at risk for developing dissociative symptoms. Several studies support a relationship between childhood maltreatment (CM) and dissociation, but previous research often does not differentiate between different types of CM in relation to the different types of dissociation. Hence, this study explored whether different types of CM could predict different types of dissociation. Method: using an online survey, self-reported experiences of CM and dissociation were cross-sectionally assessed among a sample from the general population (N = 549). Multiple regressions were performed in order to investigate whether the different types of CM were predictors for the different types of dissociation. Results: the regression for CM and dissociation, with gender as a covariate, was significant. Emotional abuse and emotional neglect significantly predicted any type of dissociation, and specifically depersonalization; emotional abuse and sexual abuse significantly predicted absorption, with gender as a covariate; physical neglect and sexual abuse significantly predicted amnesia. Discussion: the findings fit previous research concerning the relationship between CM and dissociation, although more research is needed to investigate the specific role of emotional maltreatment in regard to other types of CM and how it is related to dissociation.Show less
Background: Exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) can induce hyperactive inflammatory responses, which can persist into adult life. Elevated levels of inflammation markers can impair brain...Show moreBackground: Exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) can induce hyperactive inflammatory responses, which can persist into adult life. Elevated levels of inflammation markers can impair brain functioning and development, which can in turn increase the risk for psychopathology. Hence, inflammation might be one of the potential mechanisms explaining the link between CM and adult psychopathology. Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether inflammation might mediate the relationship between CM and internalizing psychopathology in adulthood. Additionally, the study aimed to determine whether this effect is specific to one or more subtypes of CM. Methods: A total of 116 adults participated in the study. CM was assessed using a combination of two questionnaires: the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-PC) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Participants’ saliva samples were analysed for three pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α). The Internalizing Problems subscale from the Adult Self Report (ASR) questionnaire was used to determine internalizing psychopathology. Parallel mediation analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. Results: Experienced childhood abuse and neglect both significantly predicted internalizing symptoms in adulthood. However, the associations were not mediated by pro-inflammatory cytokines. Conclusions: This study’s findings add to the extensive body of literature showing the longterm effects of CM on internalizing psychopathologies. Contrary to expectations, the mediation effect of inflammation in this relationship was not identified. As several methodological factors could have influenced the results, this outcome should not be considered as a firm disconfirmation of the mediation hypothesis. Further prospective studies addressing this question are warranted.Show less
