The long shadow of childhood trauma for depression in midlife: examining daily psychological stress processes as a persistent risk pathway. Issue 16 (26th December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mayer, Stefanie E.; Surachman, Agus; Prather, Aric A.; Puterman, Eli; Delucchi, Kevin L.; Irwin, Michael R.; Danese, Andrea; Almeida, David M.; Epel, Elissa S.
• Is Part Of: Psychological medicine. Volume 52:Issue 16(2022)
• Page Start: 4029
• Page End: 4038
• Publication Date: 2022-12-26
• Subjects: Childhood trauma -- early life adversity -- depression -- daily stress -- daily diaries -- stress appraisals -- persistent risk pathway; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Medicine and psychology -- Periodicals; Clinical psychology -- Periodicals; 616.89
• DOI: 10.1017/S0033291721000921
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-2917

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Childhood trauma (CT) increases the risk of adult depression. Buffering effects require an understanding of the underlying persistent risk pathways. This study examined whether daily psychological stress processes – how an individual interprets and affectively responds to minor everyday events – mediate the effect of CT on adult depressive symptoms. Methods: Middle-aged women ( N = 183) reported CT at baseline and completed daily diaries of threat appraisals and negative evening affect for 7 days at baseline, 9, and 18 months. Depressive symptoms were measured across the 1.5-year period. Mediation was examined using multilevel structural equation modeling. Results: Reported CT predicted greater depressive symptoms over the 1.5-year time period (estimate = 0.27, s.e. = 0.07, 95% CI 0.15–0.38, p < 0.001). Daily threat appraisals and negative affect mediated the effect of reported CT on depressive symptoms (estimate = 0.34, s.e. = 0.08, 95% CI 0.22–0.46, p < 0.001). Daily threat appraisals explained more than half of this effect (estimate = 0.19, s.e. = 0.07, 95% CI 0.08–0.30, p = 0.004). Post hoc analyses in individuals who reported at least moderate severity of CT showed that lower threat appraisals buffered depressive symptoms. A similar pattern was found in individuals who reported no/low severity of CT. Conclusions: A reported history of CT acts as a latent vulnerability, exaggerating threat appraisals of everyday events, which trigger greater negative evening affect – processes that have important mental health consequences and may provide malleable intervention targets.