Symptoms of major depressive disorder subsequent to child maltreatment: Examining change across multiple levels of analysis to identify transdiagnostic risk pathways.
Title | Symptoms of major depressive disorder subsequent to child maltreatment: Examining change across multiple levels of analysis to identify transdiagnostic risk pathways. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2015 |
Authors | Shenk CE, Griffin AM, O'Donnell K |
Journal | Dev Psychopathol |
Volume | 27 |
Issue | 4 Pt 2 |
Pagination | 1503-14 |
Date Published | 2015 Nov |
ISSN | 1469-2198 |
Keywords | Adolescent, Adult, alpha-Amylases, Child Abuse, Depressive Disorder, Major, Emotions, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Risk, Self-Control, Young Adult |
Abstract | Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent psychiatric condition in the child maltreatment population. However, not all children who have been maltreated will develop MDD or MDD symptoms, suggesting the presence of unique risk pathways that explain how certain children develop MDD symptoms when others do not. The current study tested several candidate risk pathways to MDD symptoms following child maltreatment: neuroendocrine, autonomic, affective, and emotion regulation. Female adolescents (N = 110; age range = 14-19) were recruited into a substantiated child maltreatment or comparison condition and completed a laboratory stressor, saliva samples, and measures of emotion regulation, negative affect, and MDD symptoms. MDD symptoms were reassessed 18 months later. Mediational modeling revealed that emotion regulation was the only significant indirect effect of the relationship between child maltreatment and subsequent MDD symptoms, demonstrating that children exposed to maltreatment had greater difficulties managing affective states that in turn led to more severe MDD symptoms. These results highlight the importance of emotion dysregulation as a central risk pathway to MDD following child maltreatment. Areas of future research and implications for optimizing prevention and clinical intervention through the direct targeting of transdiagnostic risk pathways are discussed. |
DOI | 10.1017/S0954579415000905 |
Alternate Journal | Dev. Psychopathol. |
PubMed ID | 26535940 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC4774890 |
Grant List | KL2 TR000078 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States T32DA017629 / DA / NIDA NIH HHS / United States T32 DA017629 / DA / NIDA NIH HHS / United States KL2TR000078-05 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States UL1 TR001425 / TR / NCATS NIH HHS / United States |