Citation

Zheng S, Stewart JG, Bagby RM, Harkness KL. Clin. Psychol. Psychother. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/cpp.2681

PMID

34725882

Abstract

The current study provided a novel investigation of relations among particular types of childhood maltreatment (emotional versus physical versus sexual maltreatment), specific cognitive schema themes, and the generation of dependent versus independent life events. Participants included 227 adolescents and emerging adults (74% female; aged 12-29) in a current episode of a unipolar depressive disorder drawn from three archival cross-sectional studies. Childhood maltreatment and life events from the past 6 months were assessed using detailed contextual interviews with independent, standardized ratings. Emotional maltreatment was uniquely associated with schemas themes of emotional deprivation and subjugation, and sexual maltreatment was uniquely associated with schema themes of abandonment, vulnerability, and dependence/incompetence. Further, subjugation and abandonment cross-sectionally mediated the relations of emotional and sexual maltreatment, respectively, to greater dependent, but not independent, life events. Physical maltreatment was not associated with cognitive schemas or recent life events after accounting for its overlap with emotional and sexual maltreatment.

RESULTS suggest targets for cognitive intervention that may improve outcomes for youth with specific histories of emotional and sexual maltreatment.

Language: en

Keywords

Depression; childhood maltreatment; adolescence; stressful life events; cognitive schemas; young adulthood