Aug 2026· Acta Psychologica· Vol 269, pp.
107598
· 0 citations· 40 references
Medicine
Abstract
Purpose
Childhood trauma has been associated with long-term alterations in psychological functioning and autonomic regulation. However, the psychological processes linking early adverse experiences with individual differences in autonomic function remain insufficiently understood. The present study examined the associations between childhood trauma and heart rate variability (HRV), with particular attention to the potential mediating roles of alexithymia and anxiety symptoms.
Participants
AND
Methods
A total of 152 university students (mean age = 22.19 years, SD = 1.63) participated in this cross-sectional study. Childhood trauma was assessed using the Revised Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire, alexithymia was measured using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Heart rate variability was indexed by the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) derived from electrocardiogram recordings. Serial mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro (Model 6) with bootstrap resampling to examine the indirect associations among the study variables.
Results
Childhood trauma was positively associated with alexithymia and anxiety symptoms and negatively associated with HRV. Alexithymia and anxiety symptoms were both negatively correlated with HRV and positively correlated with each other. Serial mediation analysis indicated that alexithymia and anxiety symptoms were statistically associated with the relationship between childhood trauma and HRV through both independent and sequential indirect pathways.
Conclusion
The findings suggest that higher levels of childhood trauma are associated with lower heart rate variability primarily in conjunction with elevated alexithymia and anxiety symptoms. Within a cross-sectional associational framework, alexithymia and anxiety may represent psychological characteristics linked to both early adverse experiences and variations in autonomic regulation. These results highlight the interconnected nature of emotional awareness, affective distress, and physiological regulation, and underscore the importance of considering emotional processing traits when examining psychophysiological correlates of childhood trauma.
Relevance
. Psychological maltreatment experienced in childhood and adolescence has been recognized as a risk factor for the development of various mental disorders, including subclinical forms. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, which is involved in responding to stressors. Changes in HRV have been observed in patients withmental disorders and those with a history of trauma. However, the significance of HRV parameters in assessing subclinical psychopathology in young adults who have experienced psychological maltreatment remains poorly understood.
Intention
. To examine heart rate variability as a transdiagnostic marker of the subclinical stage of mental disorders associated with psychological abuse experienced during childhood and adolescence.
Methodology
. The study sample comprised 280 individuals (mean age 18.81 years) who had experienced psychological abuse during childhood and adolescence and had no diagnosed mental disorders at the time of assessment. The study employed cardiorhythmography, standardized psychometric testing, and mathematical-statistical methods of data analysis.
Results and discussion
. Young adults exposed to psychological abuse demonstrated dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system characterized by predominance of sympathetic activity and reduced capacity for parasympathetic regulation. These alterations were directly associated with higher levels of subclinical psychopathological symptoms.
Conclusion
. HRV parameters may be considered transdiagnostic markers of subclinical manifestations of mental disorders, particularly in populations exposed to psychological abuse during childhood and adolescence.
A. Faustova· Bulletin of psychotherapy· 0 citations
The objective of this study was to predict psychosomatic symptoms based on childhood trauma and sensory processing sensitivity through the mediating role of alexithymia in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder. This descriptive–correlational study was conducted using structural equation modeling. The sample consisted of 300 individuals diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder who attended counseling centers in Tehran. Convenience sampling was used. Measurement instruments included the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS-26 and AMOS-26. Childhood trauma and sensory processing sensitivity both showed significant positive associations with psychosomatic symptoms. Alexithymia partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and psychosomatic symptoms as well as the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and psychosomatic symptoms. Model fit indices supported the adequacy of the proposed conceptual model. The findings indicate that childhood trauma and sensory processing sensitivity contribute to increased psychosomatic symptoms both directly and indirectly through heightened alexithymia. Interventions aimed at improving emotion regulation and enhancing emotional awareness may help reduce psychosomatic manifestations in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder.
Zeinab Hajirahimkhan, S. Rahmani, Mahmoud Goudarzi· Health Psychology and Behavi...· 0 citations
Background Childhood traumatic experiences are known to have profound and lasting effects on mental health; however, there are limited data on the relationship between types of childhood trauma and social anxiety in non-clinical populations. Aim This study aimed to explore the associations between types of childhood trauma and social anxiety symptoms in non-clinical young adults. Setting The study was conducted at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university in Istanbul, Turkey. Methods This cross-sectional study included 486 university students. Sample size was determined via G*Power analysis to ensure statistical power. Participants completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to assess childhood trauma types and social anxiety symptoms. Data were analysed using stepwise multiple regression. Results The mean age of the participants was 21.8 ± 4.0 years, and 81% were female, with emotional abuse and neglect scoring highest in both genders. The sample’s LSAS total mean score was 63.87 ± 11.68. When the subscales were compared by gender, females had significantly higher mean fear and avoidance scores than males (p < 0.05). The results show that childhood abuse and neglect were significant predictors of social anxiety and explained 23% of the social anxiety variance. Conclusion Childhood abuse and neglect are clearly associated with social anxiety symptoms. Interventions and treatments for individuals with social anxiety should incorporate a detailed assessment of childhood trauma history, with a particular focus on emotional abuse and neglect. Contribution This study contributes to the literature by clarifying the associations between specific types of childhood trauma and social anxiety symptoms in a non-clinical young adult population.
Ayfer Ekim-Günaydın, M. Çöpür· South African Journal of Psy...· 0 citations
Background Trauma experienced across the lifespan has been linked to a wide range of adverse mental health outcomes. However, the psychological mechanisms connecting betrayal trauma to later psychopathology remain insufficiently understood. Objective This cross-sectional study investigated associations between betrayal trauma during childhood and adulthood and adult psychopathology—specifically depressive symptoms and level of personality functioning within a dimensional model of personality disorders. We tested a path model examining direct and indirect associations between betrayal trauma at different developmental periods and adult psychopathology via dissociation and hypomentalizing. Participants A sample of 209 adults (61% female; aged 18–45 years; M = 29.7, SD = 7.88) were recruited from community and clinical settings in Poland. Methods Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing betrayal trauma, depressive symptoms, personality functioning (ICD-11 model), dissociation, and mentalizing. Path analyses with parallel mediation were conducted using Satorra–Bentler estimation and 5,000 bootstrap resamples to examine both direct and indirect associations. Results Both childhood and adulthood betrayal trauma were significantly associated with depressive symptoms and PD severity through dissociation and hypomentalizing [χ²(6) = 13.68, p = .033; CFI = 0.989; TLI = 0.931; RMSEA = 0.078; SRMR = 0.038]. No significant direct effects were observed once psychological processes were included. Mentalizing consistently demonstrated a stronger indirect association than dissociation across models. Adulthood betrayal trauma showed a greater total effect on depressive symptoms (β = .30; p < .001) than childhood trauma (β = .17; p = .043), whereas their effects on personality pathology were comparable (respectively, β = .21; p = .006 for adult trauma and β = .22; p = .008 for childhood trauma). For adulthood trauma and PD severity, the direct association was small and non-significant (β = −.06), whereas indirect effects via dissociation (β = .11) and mentalizing (β = .16) were positive, resulting in a positive total effect. Conclusions These findings indicate that the link between betrayal trauma and adult psychopathology may be best conceptualised in terms of co-occurring psychological processes rather than direct exposure effects. Hypomentalizing, in particular, appears to represent a key transdiagnostic mechanism connecting relational trauma across developmental stages with both mood and personality pathology.
M. Jańczak, Giulia Gagliardini, Anna Kamza et al.· PLoS ONE· 0 citations
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common and often debilitating condition characterized by emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms that significantly impact well-being. Research suggests that childhood trauma is associated with heightened PMS symptoms, yet the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. Alexithymia-a trait marked by difficulties in identifying and expressing emotions-may serve as a key psychological pathway linking childhood trauma to PMS, but this role for alexithymia has not yet been well characterized. Using cross-sectional data from N = 117 women, we assessed childhood trauma exposure (six-item Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20), and premenstrual symptoms (Premenstrual Symptoms Questionnaire). We used mediation analysis to test a proposed causal pathway between childhood trauma, alexithymia, and PMS that can be validated in future studies with longitudinal designs. Childhood trauma predicted higher alexithymia scores (Betas = 0.24, p = 0.009), which in turn predicted increased PMS symptoms (Betas = 0.40, p < 0.001). We further found evidence for a significant indirect effect of childhood trauma on PMS through alexithymia (Betas = 0.10, SE = 0.05, 95% CI [0.003, 0.20]). These findings highlight alexithymia as a critical factor in the link between childhood trauma and PMS, suggesting that difficulties in emotion processing may exacerbate premenstrual symptom severity. Addressing alexithymia in clinical interventions may improve PMS management, particularly in individuals with trauma histories. Future research should further investigate these associations longitudinally and assess targeted interventions for PMS that address alexithymia in individuals with a history of childhood trauma.
Paul W. Savoca, Julia Ditzer, Anna-Lena Zietlow et al.· Developmental Psychobiology· 0 citations
Early (before age 6) potentially traumatic events (PTEs) may interact with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning to shape outcomes involving externalizing problems and anxiety. However, directions of effects remain unclear. This study examined associations between aspects of HPA axis reactivity, anxiety, and externalizing problems over two years by early PTE exposure history, while statistically capturing the co-occurrence of symptom domains. Youth (N = 189; Mage = 10.96 years, SD = 2.51, Range = 8-15; 52.4% female, 47.1% male; 50.3% White, 35.4% Black/African American, 6.4% Other; 7.4% Hispanic/Latine) were included if they had early PTE exposure (n = 107) or had never experienced a PTE (n = 82). HPA axis reactivity to social stress was calculated using area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg) and increase (AUCi). For youth with early PTE exposure, higher AUCg was concurrently associated with more externalizing symptoms and greater predominance of externalizing over anxiety. Blunted AUCi predicted increasing predominance of externalizing for the early PTE group, but elevated AUCi predicted increases in anxiety for the no PTE group. Findings highlight distinct roles of overall and reactive HPA axis functioning in shaping outcomes following early trauma.
Gretchen R. Perhamus, Rachel E. Siciliano, Tiffany Phu et al.· Development and Psychopathol...· 0 citations