Pathways between childhood trauma and adulthood psychopathology: a network study

Childhood trauma such as abuse and neglect is serious risk factors that lead to psychological problems in adulthood. We decided to use network analysis to identify childhood trauma and psychological symptoms. 184 non-psychotic patients (Mean Age = 27.80, SD = 10.50, female 79% and male 21%) attending to psychiatric treatment agreed to fulfil a Childhood Trauma Questionnaire including five trauma types (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect) and a Symptom Check List of 10 psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, phobia, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, anger-hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, eating-sleeping problems). Network analysis revealed that among trauma types emotional and sexual abuse were directly linked with symptoms. Depression and anxiety were identified as the most central symptoms. Despite somatization was found in periphery, it was found an important bridge symptom that enable transition from childhood trauma to adulthood psychopathology. Consistent with previous studies, these results suggest that interaction between trauma types and psychological symptoms in adulthood followed multiple pathways. Future studies should also focus on influences of childhood trauma in later life.