Research on suicidal ideation indicates the significant role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and early parental attachment but fails to investigate risk potential in student populations....Show moreResearch on suicidal ideation indicates the significant role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and early parental attachment but fails to investigate risk potential in student populations. This study aimed to research how adverse childhood experiences in a population of university students who report mood and stress problems are related to suicidal ideation and whether the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and suicidal ideation is moderated by attachment style. To target students at risk for suicidal ideation, purposive sampling was employed. An independent samples t-test with consecutive multiple regression (n= 234) showed that adverse childhood experiences, measured with the ACE questionnaire, predicted the presence and severity of suicidal ideation, measured by the BSSI. Consecutive ANCOVA showed that disorganized attachment to the mother and father, measured with the PBI, were found to predict suicidal ideation. Secure attachment was negatively associated with suicidal ideation, whereas for avoidant and anxious attachment there was no association found. A logistic regression analysis showed no moderation effect of insecure attachment styles in the relation between adverse childhood experiences and suicidal ideation. Gender, academic pressure, and nationality were controlled. Findings may be limited due to methodological and performance flaws. The results highlight the importance of early identification of adverse childhood experiences and disorganized attachment for intervention and prevention of later suicidal ideation amongst students.Show less
Background: Aggression is often described as a key feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Yet, it is not clear what contributes to...Show moreBackground: Aggression is often described as a key feature of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Yet, it is not clear what contributes to aggression in these disorders. Previous literature proposes that experiences of childhood maltreatment might be an underlying cause. In this study, it was investigated if childhood maltreatment severity predicts aggression and if this depends on the diagnosis. Methods: The sample consisted of 96 women, diagnosed with BPD (N=30), ADHD (N= 28) or none of these disorders (N=30) based on semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) measured aggression and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed childhood trauma severity. Hypotheses were tested with correlational, moderation and multivariate analyses. Results: Group differences in aggression and childhood trauma severity were observed. Both psychopathological groups reported higher aggression and childhood trauma. Severity of BPD correlating the strongest with childhood trauma severity, followed by ADHD. Furthermore, aggression and childhood trauma were correlated. Yet, childhood trauma was not a significant moderator for aggression in BPD versus ADHD groups. Discussion: Findings suggest that childhood trauma is a predictor for aggression but this does not differ between the psychopathological groups. Since aggression was linked to a diagnosis of BPD, higher levels of aggression in BPD might not be restricted to childhood trauma severity but also influenced by other factors, such as impaired emotion regulation. Future studies should investigate this further, avoiding current limitations such as the cross-sectional design, self-report questionnaires, possible multicollinearity between variables and the small sample size.Show less
The way children are raised, and particularly a negative parenting environment, is suggested to be a key factor in the development of alcohol abuse in adolescence. With alcohol abuse being a danger...Show moreThe way children are raised, and particularly a negative parenting environment, is suggested to be a key factor in the development of alcohol abuse in adolescence. With alcohol abuse being a danger to adolescents’ health, social, and professional life, it is of the highest importance to find ways to prevent adolescent alcohol abuse before it’s onset. The current study focusses on adolescents with a past of negative family environments. The study measures parenting environment and alcohol use with a combination of the Measure of Parenting Style (MOPS) questionnaire, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) and the Drugs, Alcohol and Self-Injury Inventory (DASI), and researches with regression if having experienced more overall negative parenting is a predictor for more alcohol use in adolescence. Secondly, gender was taken into account as a dummy variable, which made it possible to research possible differences in relationships between parenting and alcohol use in female and male adolescents. For both research questions, no significant results were found. In the current study, experienced negative family environments had no influence on the drinking habits of adolescents with a past of child abuse or other youth trauma. While this seems to contradict earlier research, it may also provide us with the new idea that not overall parenting but only specific guidelines concerning alcohol use in parenting help regulate the alcohol use of children later in life.Show less
At least one in seven children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year and more than two thirds of children reported at least one traumatic event by the age of sixteen....Show moreAt least one in seven children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year and more than two thirds of children reported at least one traumatic event by the age of sixteen. Psychological problems, gender, mood, and socioeconomic status (SES) are all related to the severity of childhood trauma. Childhood trauma has not only been associated with a lower SES, but also with lower scores on IQ-tests. For example, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect are all negatively correlated with IQ. The relationship between SES, IQ and childhood trauma is not well understood. Especially in a population with individuals that report overall higher levels of traumatic experiences and have a lower IQ, such as offspring of people with a mood disorder. In this study, we investigated the relationship between SES, IQ, and trauma in offspring of parents with a mood disorder. Children (N = 198 and N = 40) participating in the MARIO cohort study were assessed for gender, age, SES, and exposure to childhood trauma (emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect) using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Child IQ-scores were assessed with either the WISC or the WAIS. A linear regression analysis showed that IQ was only weakly related to childhood trauma. In contrast SES was strongly related to childhood trauma. These findings suggest that IQ is not a determinant of childhood trauma in current research but underscores the importance of SES. The significant association between SES and childhood trauma could be further investigated and implemented in clinical practice. Future interventions could for example focus on preventing and/or reducing childhood trauma in children who grow up with a low SES.Show less
Associative learning underlies much of our everyday decision-making. Understanding the factors that impact associative learning abilities thus represents an important research aim. Childhood trauma...Show moreAssociative learning underlies much of our everyday decision-making. Understanding the factors that impact associative learning abilities thus represents an important research aim. Childhood trauma has been shown to negatively impact associative learning, but little is known about the impact of trauma in adulthood in healthy populations, or the impact of combined childhood trauma and recent trauma. Recent research suggests that associative learning may also differ across social and non-social contexts. This study utilised a matched aversive learning task and a within-subjects design to examine the impact of self-reported childhood trauma, recent trauma, and combined childhood and recent trauma on associative learning in social and non-social contexts. 250 participants were recruited via Prolific; 192 (97 female) were included in analysis. This was a healthy community sample. Results revealed distinct contributions of self-reported childhood trauma, recent trauma, and combined childhood and recent trauma to poorer associative learning scores. Overall associative learning performance was similar across social and non-social contexts. Combined trauma impacted associative learning scores significantly more in the non-social than social condition. This suggests qualitative differences in the processes underlying associative learning across contexts, and may illustrate strengths in navigating social uncertainty that emerge in those who experience both childhood and recent trauma. This study illustrates the potential of traumatic exposures to affect associative learning across the lifespan, and that experiences of both childhood and recent trauma may be superadditive in their impact. Recommendations for future research and appropriate designs to overcome this study's limitations are outlined.Show less
Background: Childhood trauma (CT) has been associated with eating disorder symptoms (EDs) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms. Particularly, specific BPD features such as affective...Show moreBackground: Childhood trauma (CT) has been associated with eating disorder symptoms (EDs) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms. Particularly, specific BPD features such as affective instability, impulsivity, dissociation, self-harm, are a frequent consequence of childhood trauma and co-occur with eating disorders. Previous findings suggested that symptoms of BPD could mediate the relationship between CT and EDs. The aim of this self-report study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between childhood trauma and eating disorder symptoms and whether this relationship is partly explained by borderline personality features. Methods: Four hundred and fourteen individuals completed the self-report scales on CT, BPD symptoms and EDs. Using the PROCESS macro tool, it was investigated whether there was a direct effect of CT severity on overall scores of ED symptoms as well as an indirect effect via BPD symptoms. The role of specific features of BPD were analysed in an exploratory manner. Results: Severity of CT significantly predicted EDs symptoms, also after accounting for overall borderline personality symptoms. In addition, there was a significant indirect effect of CT via overall BPD symptoms on EDs. Except for affective instability, indirect effects were found for all BPD features. Conclusion: In the context of previous findings, our results suggested that symptoms of BPD might mediate the relationship between CT and EDs. Given the correlational design of this study that cannot allow causal conclusions, experimental, longitudinal designs should be used in future research to further and deeply understand these associations.Show less
Objective: Research on loneliness suggests that loneliness increases physical and mental health concerns. This study aimed to investigate the predictor role of psychological distress, childhood...Show moreObjective: Research on loneliness suggests that loneliness increases physical and mental health concerns. This study aimed to investigate the predictor role of psychological distress, childhood trauma, mistrust, and the living situation on loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic to identify vulnerable groups. Methods: 349 participants took part in this cross-sectional study. They completed online selfquestionnaires assessing their level of loneliness, psychological distress, childhood trauma, mistrust, and living situation. The study was conducted online during September 2020 and April 2021 at the Universities of Leiden (the Netherlands) and Mannheim (Germany). Most of the respondents were 18-25 years old university students from 30 different nationalities. Results: The results indicated that childhood trauma (B =.074, SE =.012 t = 6.29, p < .05) and psychological distress (B = .007, SE = .003, t = 2.11, p < .05) predict loneliness while mistrust (B = -.074, SE =.044, t = -1.68, p = .092) does not. The effect of psychological distress became insignificant, when controlling for the other predictor variables (β = .003, SE =.003 t = 1.11, p =.26). No significant effect was found on loneliness score between two categories of living situation (F(1,347) =.64, p =.424, ηp 2 =.002). There was no significant interaction between childhood trauma and psychological distress. Conclusions: The current study highlights that experiencing childhood trauma is a risk factor for the feeling of loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prospective research is needed to fully understand the reasons and consequences of loneliness and its relationship with possible risk factors.Show less
Introduction: Childhood trauma (CT) is a broad concept and encompasses all forms of emotional and physical violence or neglect, with potentially serious consequences. CT may lead to intimate...Show moreIntroduction: Childhood trauma (CT) is a broad concept and encompasses all forms of emotional and physical violence or neglect, with potentially serious consequences. CT may lead to intimate partner violence (IPV) in later life. Insecure attachment has been found to influence the relationship between these two factors, but there is a lack of information on the extent of this association. This study examines the relationship between CT and IPV perpetration and victimization and the role of attachment style as a moderator within this relationship. Methods: An online survey on CT was used to cross-sectionally investigate self-reported CT, attachment styles and IPV within a sample of the general population (N = 421). Path analysis modelling using PROCESS was performed on the moderation model. Results: A direct effect of CT on IPV perpetration was found. There was no direct effect on the individual variables. There was no significant interaction effect of CT and attachment style on IPV. The hypothesis that the relationship between CT and IPV is moderated by attachment style was supported. Discussion: Although more research is needed on the specific effects of the different attachment styles on the relationship between CT and IPV, current findings suggest a moderating effect of attachment on the relationship between CT and IPV. The findings were only partly consistent with earlier findings, which encourages a critical view on the effects of CT on IPV in later life.Show less
