An analysis of early developmental trauma in social anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract

BackgroundThe early contributions of childhood trauma (emotional, physical, sexual, and general) have been hypothesized to play a significant role in the development of anxiety disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD). The aim of this study was to assess childhood trauma differences between PTSD and SAD patients and healthy controls, as measured by the Early Trauma Inventory.MethodsWe examined individuals (N = 109) with SAD with moderate/severe early developmental trauma (EDT) (n = 32), individuals with SAD with low/no EDT (n = 29), individuals with PTSD with EDT (n = 17), and healthy controls (n = 31). The mean age was 34 years (SD = 11). Subjects were screened with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Analysis of variance was performed to assess group differences. Correlations were calculated between childhood traumas.ResultsAlthough not statistically significant, individuals with PTSD endorsed more physical and sexual childhood trauma compared with individuals with SAD with moderate/severe EDT who endorsed more emotional trauma. For all groups, physical and emotional abuse occurred between ages 6 and 11, while the occurrence of sexual abuse in individuals with PTSD was at 6–11 years and later (13–18 years) in individuals with SAD with moderate/severe EDT. For emotional abuse in all groups, the perpetrator was mostly a primary female caregiver; for sexual abuse, it was mostly a nonfamilial adult male, while for physical abuse, it was mostly a caregiver (male in PTSD and female in SAD with moderate/severe EDT).ConclusionsThe contribution of childhood abuse to the development of PTSD and SAD and the differences between these groups and other anxiety disorders should not be ignored and attention should be given to the frequency and severity of these events. The relationship of the perpetrator(s) and the age of onset of childhood abuse are also important considerations as they provide a useful starting point to assess impact over the life course. This can, in turn, guide clinicians on the optimal timing for the delivery of interventions for the prevention of PTSD and SAD.

A bibliotherapy project for children with social anxiety

“…There is a strong association between SAD and several types of trauma. Bishop, Rosenstein, Bakelaar, & Seedat (2014) say that it has long been known that emotional abuse and/or emotional neglect by caregivers is highly correlated with the development of SAD and again confirm this association through their study. A study by Kuo, Goldin, Werner, Heimberg & Gross (2011) examined types of childhood trauma experienced by those with SAD and found emotional abuse and emotional neglect to be associated with high rates of SAD, trait anxiety, and low self-esteem.…”

Eventos de vida en la infancia y su relación con el trastorno de estrés postraumático en adultos en Lima Metropolitana.

“…Con respecto a los eventos adversos en la infancia, estos perjudican directamente al niño o a su entorno con consecuencias negativas en la adultez (27), se vio asociación con trastornos mentales en la adultez tales como la depresión y el trastorno de ansiedad social (28,29). En nuestro estudio, se encontró relación, dentro de los eventos adversos en la infancia, entre la variable "Mientras crecía fue objeto (o haber sufrido) de chantajes, manipulaciones o humillaciones en forma frecuente" y el TEPT, hallazgo coherente con Tabla 5.…”

“…Con respecto a alguna disfuncionalidad familiar, la variable "Mientras crecía, su familia vivió en permanente riesgo o amenaza a la integridad física de algunos de sus miembros", predispone a un mayor riesgo de padecer TEPT, un factor de riesgo también estudiado anteriormente. Por ejemplo, Osofsky en su revisión sistemática, evidenció que la exposición a violencia puede tener un impacto significativo en el desarrollo infantil y uno de los efectos negativos puede ser el TEPT (30), así mismo, Bishop et al (República de Sudáfrica) encontraron que las personas con diagnóstico de TEPT sufrieron con más frecuencia abuso de tipo físico y sexual (29).…”

Sleep disturbance and psychological distress among hospitalized children in India: Parental perceptions on pediatric inpatient experiences

“…We relied on parental responses to identify psychological distress in children, which is an indirect assessment but allowed for the collection of data on children ages 4-12 years, an age range in which self-awareness of psychological awareness is still recurring. unaddressed public health threat (Bishop et al, 2014;Leung et al, 2020;Symonds, 2020).…”