A structural model of mechanisms predicting depressive symptoms in women following childhood psychological maltreatment

Abstract Two underlying mechanisms, emotion dysregulation and negative internalized beliefs, were examined as potential mediators of the association between childhood psychological maltreatment (PM) and depression in emerging adult women. PM was assessed as a multi-faceted construct including aspect...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child abuse & neglect 2014-01, Vol.38 (1), p.103-113
Main Authors: Coates, Aubrey A, Messman-Moore, Terri L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Attitude to Health
Beliefs
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child abuse & neglect
Child Abuse - psychology
Child, Preschool
Depression
Depression - etiology
Emotional abuse
Emotional disorders
Emotions
Female
Humans
Internal-External Control
Medical sciences
Mental depression
Mental health
Models, Psychological
Mood disorders
Parent-Child Relations
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Retrospective Studies
Self Report
Undergraduate Students
Victimology
Women
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Two underlying mechanisms, emotion dysregulation and negative internalized beliefs, were examined as potential mediators of the association between childhood psychological maltreatment (PM) and depression in emerging adult women. PM was assessed as a multi-faceted construct including aspects of psychological abuse (e.g., corrupting) and psychological neglect (e.g., emotional unresponsiveness) that occurred by parents. Female undergraduates ( n = 771) completed anonymous, retrospective, self-report surveys assessing childhood PM, current depressive symptoms, emotion dysregulation (lack of emotional clarity and regulation strategies), and negative internalized beliefs (mistrust, shame, and defectiveness). Psychological maltreatment was represented as four subtypes of psychological abuse or neglectful behavior: Emotional Non-Responsiveness, Spurning/Terrorizing, Corrupting, and Demanding/Rigid (i.e., controlling behavior). Both emotion dysregulation and negative internalized beliefs significantly mediated the link between childhood PM and depressive symptoms, accounting for approximately 68% of the variance in symptomatology. Findings suggest the importance of focusing intervention on development of emotion regulation capacity including emotional awareness and regulatory strategies, as well as a focus on core negative beliefs including shame, defectiveness, and mistrust of others. Implications for future research are discussed.
ISSN:0145-2134
1873-7757
DOI:10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.10.005