Elsevier

Journal of Affective Disorders

Volume 283, 15 March 2021, Pages 179-191
Journal of Affective Disorders

Review article
Childhood Trauma in Adult Depressive and Anxiety Disorders: An Integrated Review on Psychological and Biological Mechanisms in the NESDA Cohort

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.054Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Highlights

  • This review integrates CT findings from 37 publications based on a large longitudinal adult cohort - the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA).

  • CT was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders with increased comorbidity and chronicity.

  • CT was linked to maladaptive personality characteristics and cognitions, stress systems' dysregulations, advanced biological aging, poorer lifestyle, somatic health decline, and brain alterations.

  • Potential CT mechanisms for psychopathology are found at various levels. Integrating them provides a better understanding of CT's life-long impact.

Abstract

Background

Childhood trauma (CT) has adverse consequences on mental health across the lifespan. The understanding of how CT increases vulnerability for psychiatric disorders is growing. However, lack of an integrative approach to psychological and biological mechanisms of CT hampers further advancement. This review integrates CT findings across explanatory levels from a longitudinal adult cohort – the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA).

Methods

We reviewed all studies (k = 37) from the NESDA cohort (n = 2981) published from 2009 to 2020 containing CT findings related to psychopathology and potential psychological and biological mechanisms of CT.

Results

CT was associated with a higher risk of anxiety and depressive disorders with the strongest associations in the comorbid group. CT predicted the onset of these disorders, recurrence, and poorer outcomes (more comorbidity and chronicity). CT was associated with maladaptive personality characteristics and cognitions (e.g., higher neuroticism and negative self-associations), mild stress systems dysregulations (heightened levels of cortisol and inflammation), advanced biological aging (increased epigenetic aging and telomere attrition), poorer lifestyle (higher smoking rate and body mass index), somatic health decline (e.g., increased metabolic syndrome dysregulations), and brain alterations (e.g., reduced mPFC volume and increased amygdala reactivity).

Limitations

Literature review of one cohort using mixed analytical approaches.

Conclusion

: CT impacts the functioning of the brain, mind, and body, which together may contribute to a higher vulnerability for affective disorders. It is essential to employ an integrative approach combining different sources of data to understand the mechanisms of CT better.

Keywords

Childhood trauma
Childhood maltreatment
Depression, anxiety
Review

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