Do interpersonal fears mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and interpersonal skills deficits? A matched cross-sectional analysis

TY - JOUR

T1 - Do interpersonal fears mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and interpersonal skills deficits? A matched cross-sectional analysis

AU - Klein, Jan Philipp

AU - Stahl, Jörg

AU - Hüppe, Michael

AU - McCullough, James P

AU - Schramm, Elisabeth

AU - Ortel, Dominice

AU - Sondermann, Stefan

AU - Schröder, Johanna

AU - Moritz, Steffen

AU - Schweiger, Ulrich

PY - 2020/2

Y1 - 2020/2

N2 - OBJECTIVE: Childhood maltreatment, interpersonal fear and a specific kind of interpersonal skills deficit (preoperational thinking) have all been associated with persistent depressive disorder (PDD). We hypothesize that interpersonal fears mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and preoperational thinking.METHOD: A total of 108 matched participants have been examined cross-sectionally (31 healthy controls, 30 patients with episodic depression and 47 patients with PDD) with the following instruments: the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF), a measure of interpersonal fear (CBASP Interpersonal Questionnaire) and the Lübeck Questionnaire of Preoperational Thinking.RESULTS: Patients with PDD reported significantly more childhood maltreatment than patients with episodic depression (d = 0.65) and healthy controls (d = 1.29). They also had more interpersonal fears (d = 0.71 and d = 2.11 respectively) and higher levels of preoperational thinking (d = 0.90 and d = 2.78 respectively). The association between childhood maltreatment and preoperational thinking was mediated through interpersonal fears.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings might have important implications for psychotherapy of PDD because they demonstrate how specific problems in social interactions can be associated with interpersonal fears that arise secondary to childhood maltreatment.

AB - OBJECTIVE: Childhood maltreatment, interpersonal fear and a specific kind of interpersonal skills deficit (preoperational thinking) have all been associated with persistent depressive disorder (PDD). We hypothesize that interpersonal fears mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and preoperational thinking.METHOD: A total of 108 matched participants have been examined cross-sectionally (31 healthy controls, 30 patients with episodic depression and 47 patients with PDD) with the following instruments: the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF), a measure of interpersonal fear (CBASP Interpersonal Questionnaire) and the Lübeck Questionnaire of Preoperational Thinking.RESULTS: Patients with PDD reported significantly more childhood maltreatment than patients with episodic depression (d = 0.65) and healthy controls (d = 1.29). They also had more interpersonal fears (d = 0.71 and d = 2.11 respectively) and higher levels of preoperational thinking (d = 0.90 and d = 2.78 respectively). The association between childhood maltreatment and preoperational thinking was mediated through interpersonal fears.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings might have important implications for psychotherapy of PDD because they demonstrate how specific problems in social interactions can be associated with interpersonal fears that arise secondary to childhood maltreatment.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1080/10503307.2018.1532125

DO - 10.1080/10503307.2018.1532125

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 30309293

VL - 30

SP - 267

EP - 278

JO - PSYCHOTHER RES

JF - PSYCHOTHER RES

SN - 1050-3307

IS - 2

ER -