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A Network Analysis Approach to Understanding the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Wellbeing Later in Life

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Abstract

Though childhood maltreatment negatively affects later in life functioning, current interventions do little to mitigate this impact. This ineffectiveness may be exacerbated by deficit-focused models which focus primarily on mental illness, ignoring other indicators of healthy functioning. This paper presents two studies that examine the relationships between childhood maltreatment and later in life functioning, including indicators of mental illness and mental health. In Study 1, network analysis was used as an exploratory tool to examine how childhood maltreatment relates to later in life wellbeing. Study 2 used a different sample of adults to provide a confirmatory test of the network obtained in Study 1 given remaining concerns about the replicability of networks from network analysis. Study 1 included a subset of participants from the Midlife Development in the United States Study 2 (MIDUS 2) Biomarker Project 4, 2004–2009. Study 2 included individuals from the MIDUS Refresher Biomarker Project 4, 2012–2016. Network comparison tests demonstrated that the networks generally replicated as they did not significantly vary in structure, global strength, or measures of strength centrality. In both studies, emotional forms of maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse, emotional neglect) emerged as particularly influential in the networks. Childhood maltreatment impacts the ability to thrive in adulthood, beyond its impact on diagnosable mental illness, and also affects positive functioning. A stronger focus on emotional abuse and emotional neglect is warranted within maltreatment intervention and education initiatives, as is an emphasis on the impact of maltreatment on positive functioning in adulthood.

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For more information on funding please see http://www.midus.wisc.edu/scopeofstudy.php#History.

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  1. Department of Psychology, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MS 3f5, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Kristina M. Volgenau, Kara E. Hokes, Nathan Hacker & Leah M. Adams

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  1. Kristina M. Volgenau
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  2. Kara E. Hokes
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Correspondence to Kristina M. Volgenau.

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Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 1 and 2.

Table 1 Sample descriptive statistics
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Table 2 Bivariate correlations for study 1 and study 2
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Volgenau, K.M., Hokes, K.E., Hacker, N. et al. A Network Analysis Approach to Understanding the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Wellbeing Later in Life. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 54, 1127–1140 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-022-01321-y

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