Childhood maltreatment linked to emotion regulation difficulties and teen mental health problems

A longitudinal study in China found that adolescents who were maltreated as children are more likely to use maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. These individuals also tend to experience more severe symptoms of depression and anxiety. The research was published in Development and Psychopathology.

Childhood maltreatment refers to abuse or neglect experienced by a child. This can include physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, as well as physical or emotional neglect. Maltreatment may occur within the family or be inflicted by other caregivers, and it often has long-lasting effects on a child’s development. When it happens during critical developmental periods, maltreatment can alter brain structure and function, particularly in areas related to emotion regulation and stress response.

Children who experience maltreatment are at increased risk for mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and substance use problems. It can also impair cognitive development, academic achievement, and social relationships. Early maltreatment often disrupts the formation of secure attachment and trust in others. These effects can persist into adulthood, negatively affecting self-esteem, interpersonal functioning, and physical health. Risk factors for maltreatment include poverty, parental mental illness, and domestic violence.

Study author Jianjun Huang and his colleagues set out to examine the relationship between childhood maltreatment and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. They also explored how childhood maltreatment is linked to internalizing mental health problems—difficulties that are directed inward, such as anxiety and depression. Maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies refer to unhelpful thought patterns, such as rumination, catastrophizing, or self-blame, that people use in an attempt to manage emotions, but which often worsen psychological distress instead of alleviating it.

The study participants were adolescents recruited from a high school in Chongqing, China. A total of 1,155 students agreed to participate in a longitudinal mental health survey. The initial survey was conducted in 2021, and a follow-up survey was completed by 892 students in 2023. Of those who completed the second survey, 487 were girls. The average age of the participants was 15 years.

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The surveys included several standardized questionnaires to assess different aspects of mental health. Childhood maltreatment was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies were assessed with the Maladaptive Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies Questionnaire. Depression and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the Self-Rating Depression Scale and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, respectively.

The results showed that adolescents who reported higher levels of childhood maltreatment were more likely to use maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and reported more severe symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The researchers tested a statistical model proposing that maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies measured in 2021 would mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and internalizing problems measured in 2023. They also tested a second model suggesting that internalizing problems in 2021 could mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and future maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. Analyses supported both pathways.

“Taken together, childhood maltreatment was longitudinally associated with internalizing problems through MCERS [maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies], and also related to subsequent MCERS through internalizing problems,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the relationships between childhood maltreatment and mental health issues later in life. However, it should be noted that all the data in this study came from self-reports and that childhood maltreatment data was based on participants’ recall of experiences from their childhood. This leaves room for reporting and recall bias to have affected the results.

The paper, “The long-term effects of childhood maltreatment: Examining the indirect and cross-lagged pathways of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and internalizing problems,” was authored by Jianjun Huang, Xi Shen, and Jin-Liang Wang.