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Childhood Maltreatment and Depressotypic Cognitive Organization

“…These findings expand upon previous research and are consistent with the hypothesis that the failure to develop a coherent structure of positive schema contents coupled with a tightly organized negative self-structure may be one mechanism by which child maltreatment imparts vulnerability for the development of the depression syndrome. The present findings are also consistent with several recent studies suggesting that youngsters form core beliefs about themselves, others, and the future in response to important experiences with caregivers, including experiences of maltreatment (Garber and Flynn 2001;Gibb et al 2001;Gibb et al 2003;Harter and Wanecek 2000;McGinn et al 2005;Rose et al 1994). However, the current findings go beyond this previous research by empirically supporting prominent cognitive (e.g., Beck 1967;Young et al 2003) and attachment (Bowlby 1969) theories, which suggest that experiences of parental care and abuse may influence the organization of core beliefs in the mind.…”

“…In a cross-sectional context, our results also suggest emotional maltreatment exacted by either parent may have a detrimental impact on schema organization and depression. These results are consistent with previous research suggesting that emotional maltreatment may have stronger negative implications for the development of a depressotypic cognitive vulnerability than abuse (Gibb et al 2001;Gibb and Abela 2008). Reasons for this differential relation are unclear at present.…”

“…Previous research highlights the importance of examining the differential relation of particular forms of maltreatment to depression to elucidate fine-grained models of risk (Gibb et al 2001). We found that emotional maltreatment was significantly related to depression through both NSO and PSO.…”

“…Childhood maltreatment (i.e., physical, sexual, and emotional abuse) interferes profoundly with normative development and is highly predictive of depression symptoms and disorder in young adulthood (Brown et al 1999;Fergusson et al 1996;Gibb et al 2001;Rose et al 1994;Silverman et al 1996). In a review of several large-scale studies of the impact of childhood maltreatment on later development, Harkness and Lumley (2008) concluded that the presence of childhood maltreatment is associated with a 2-5-fold increase in the risk for later onset of depressive disorder.…”

Posttraumatic Cognitions as Mediators Between Childhood Maltreatment and Poorer Mental Health Among Young Adults

“…Only two studies to date have examined the mediating role of posttraumatic cognitions among victims of childhood maltreatment. Gibb et al (2001)) examined posttraumatic cognitions (i.e., attribution style and cognitions about oneself and the world) as mediators between self-reported histories of childhood maltreatment (i.e., emotional, physical, and sexual abuse) and depression among a college sample of men and women (N =297) over a 2.5-year period. A more negative cognitive style was supported as a mediator in the relationship between emotional abuse and depression.…”