Early Life Adversity and Childhood Maltreatment

A new longitudinal study of Chinese high school students suggests that growing up in poverty weakens belief in a just world, while unpredictable environments show less consistent effects. Perceptions of discrimination appear to help explain this link.

Women who endured childhood trauma may be more prone to eating disorders if they struggle with mentalizing, new research indicates. The findings point to a potential mediating role for difficulties in understanding mental states in this relationship.

Researchers report that sexual narcissism may serve as a psychological link between childhood trauma and compulsive sexual behavior. Participants with compulsive sexual behavior reported more trauma, greater sexual narcissism, and higher hypersexuality scores than controls.

A 10-year study of over 1,000 youth found that early exposure to abuse and neighborhood violence was associated with carrying firearms and threatening others with them during early adulthood, raising concerns about long-term effects of childhood trauma.

A longitudinal study in China suggests that teens who were maltreated as children often use maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, which may help explain their heightened risk for depression and anxiety symptoms later in adolescence.

A new study suggests exercise can reduce the psychological toll of childhood adversity, but its benefits are not universal. Researchers found that a person’s genetic makeup, specifically a variant in the BDNF gene, can influence how effectively physical activity buffers...

Positive relationships in childhood may play a lasting role in protecting college students from suicidal ideation tied to trauma, a new study finds, offering promising implications for both clinical care and campus mental health programs.

Individuals with greater childhood trauma experienced and expressed fewer positive emotions—and more negative ones—during sexual disagreements. The link was largely explained by attachment anxiety, a fear-based relationship pattern formed early in life

Mothers who were maltreated as children are more likely to develop anxious romantic attachment styles, which in turn are linked to lower parenting satisfaction and efficacy, according to a study.

Adults with a history of childhood trauma show measurable differences in brain structure and function, according to new research. The study found smaller surface area and volume in specific cortical regions, along with altered patterns of functional connectivity.

New research using data from over 7,000 children suggests that adversity during late childhood accelerates brain network development. While these changes may buffer against anxiety and depression, they are also associated with poorer school performance.

A new study suggests that people who are more resilient are less likely to develop psychopathic traits after experiencing childhood trauma. The findings highlight the protective role of resilience and its potential for reducing harmful personality patterns later in life.

New research highlights how childhood verbal abuse can alter brain development, increasing risks for anxiety, depression, and relationship difficulties. Experts warn that harsh language is not harmless—and prevention is key to improving long-term mental health outcomes for future generations.

A large study suggests that the link between early-life adversity and adolescent depression may be shaped by DNA methylation, a biological process that controls gene activity. These epigenetic changes could signal both risk and resilience for mental health outcomes.

Researchers have identified a pathway linking childhood abuse to addictive behaviors in teens, showing that impulsivity and irritability help explain why early adversity increases the risk of smoking, alcohol use, and internet addiction.