Association between childhood maltreatment and social functioning in individuals with affective disorders: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Objective: Childhood maltreatment has been linked to impairments in social functioning and social cognition in adults with affective disorders. However, conclusions have been limited by inconsistent findings across different maltreatment subtypes and social domains. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify associations between childhood maltreatment (overall and subtypes -physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse, and/or physical and/or emotional neglect) and different domains of social functioning and social cognition in adults with affective disorders (bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder). We also examined effect moderators and mediators of these associations. Methods: A systematic search was performed on 12.12.2022 which identified 29 studies included in qualitative synthesis (n = 3022 individuals with affective disorders), of which 27 (n = 2957) were pooled in meta-analyses. Across studies, five social functioning and five social cognition domains were examined, of

Correlation between emotion dysregulation and mood symptoms of bipolar disorder: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…The correlations were moderate with depressive and weak with (hypo)manic symptoms, probably because these items explore the regulation of negative emotions, as mentioned earlier. Risk behaviors are in fact a core symptom of mania 39 and, importantly, they are also related to aggressive behaviors, 86 mediated by common factors such as affective temperaments 87,88 or childhood maltreatment 89,90 . Indeed there is evidence that risk‐taking was dependent on current mood status, as scores were highest in people with BD who were currently manic compared to those who were currently depressed or euthymic 91,92 …”

“…Risk behaviors are in fact a core symptom of mania 39 and, importantly, they are also related to aggressive behaviors, 86 mediated by common factors such as affective temperaments 87,88 or childhood maltreatment. 89,90 Indeed there is evidence that risk-taking was dependent on current mood status, as scores were highest in people with BD who were currently manic compared to those who were currently depressed or euthymic. 91,92 Negative focus strategy, defined as over-emphasizing the negative aspects of an experience and predicting the worst possible outcome, and focusing on self-critical thoughts, blaming self or others for events/situations that are not the complete responsibility of the individual, 3 also appeared to be correlated positively with both polarities of BD.…”

Cognitive reserve moderates the relationship between childhood maltreatment, objective and subjective cognition, and psychosocial functioning in individuals with first-episode psychosis.

“…Both cognitive (Büetiger et al, 2023; Popovic et al, 2019; Velikonja et al, 2021) and psychosocial functioning (Christy et al, 2023; Fares-Otero, Alameda, et al, 2023; Fares-Otero, De Prisco, et al, 2023; Tzouvara et al, 2023) are implicated in the sequelae of CM and are transdiagnostic mechanisms in the development of psychopathology (McLaughlin et al, 2020). Our exploratory analyses provide insight into understanding the nuances of this relationship.…”

Struggling Can Also Show on the Inside: Current Knowledge of the Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Biomarkers in Mood Disorderss

“…Further evidence supports that childhood maltreatment increases the risk of mood disorders substantially. 8,9 In addition, childhood maltreatment is associated with an earlier age at onset of mood disorder, a more severe illness course, impaired social functioning 10 including cognitive difficulties, 11 more perceived stress, lower quality of life, 12 sexual health problems, 13,14 and physical diseases. 15,16 The landmark study by Caspi et al 17,18 showed that the impact of severe life events seems mediated through genetic variation, variations that contributed to an increased vulnerability in maltreated children.…”