Associations Between Childhood Abuse and COVID-19 Hyperarousal in Adulthood: The Role of Social Environment

Abstract

BackgroundChildhood abuse increases risk for high levels of distress in response to future stressors. Interpersonal social support is protective for health, particularly during stress, and may be particularly beneficial for individuals who experienced childhood abuse.ObjectiveInvestigate whether childhood abuse predicts levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and test whether the perceived availability of social companionship preceding the pandemic moderates this relationship.MethodsDuring Phase 1, adults (N = 120; Age M[SD] = 19.4 [0.94]) completed a retrospective measure of childhood adversity along with a measure of perceived availability of opportunities for social engagement immediately preceding the pandemic. Two weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic declaration, participants completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) with respect to the pandemic. Hierarchical linear regression analyses examined the interaction between childhood abuse and the perceived availability of social companionship preceding the pandemic as a predictor of PTSD symptoms.ResultsAdjusting for covariates, the interaction between childhood abuse and perceived availability of others to engage with before the onset of the pandemic was a significant predictor of IES-hyperarousal (β = −0.19, t = −2.06, p = 0.04, ΔR2 = 0.032, CI: [−0.31 to −0.01]).ConclusionLevels of perceived opportunities for social companionship before the pandemic associates with levels of hyperarousal related to the pandemic, particularly for individuals who experienced high levels of childhood abuse. More research is needed to understand how to mitigate the higher levels of distress related to the pandemic for these individuals in order to reduce risk for future psychiatric disorders.

Psychosocial impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on women with trauma histories: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN)

“…Several mechanisms may link prepandemic trauma histories and worse mental health, poorer sleep, and increased conflict during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Adults with trauma histories have been shown to report more PTSD‐related symptoms during the pandemic (John‐Henderson et al., 2021 ; Lahav, 2020 ; Seitz et al., 2021 ), and these symptoms have been related to poor sleep (Riemann et al., 2010 ) and interpersonal functioning (Markowitz et al., 2009 ). Social isolation has been related to depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms during the pandemic (Gonzalez‐Sanguino et al., 2020 ; Kaya et al., 2021 ), particularly among adults with trauma histories (John‐Henderson et al., 2021 ; Raj et al., 2020 ; Seitz et al., 2021 ).…”

“…Adults with trauma histories have been shown to report more PTSD‐related symptoms during the pandemic (John‐Henderson et al., 2021 ; Lahav, 2020 ; Seitz et al., 2021 ), and these symptoms have been related to poor sleep (Riemann et al., 2010 ) and interpersonal functioning (Markowitz et al., 2009 ). Social isolation has been related to depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms during the pandemic (Gonzalez‐Sanguino et al., 2020 ; Kaya et al., 2021 ), particularly among adults with trauma histories (John‐Henderson et al., 2021 ; Raj et al., 2020 ; Seitz et al., 2021 ). Finally, data suggest sleep habits have worsened for many adults during the pandemic (Petrov et al., 2021 ), consistent with reports of sleep problems in the present study.…”

“…A limited body of work has examined the association between prepandemic trauma history and psychosocial symptoms during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Experiencing trauma in childhood or across the lifespan has been related to depressive, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms during the pandemic (Haydon & Salvatore, 2021 ; John‐Henderson et al., 2021 ; Lahav, 2020 ), with several longitudinal studies suggesting poorer pandemic‐related mental health and sleep quality after accounting for prepandemic symptoms (John‐Henderson, 2020 ; Seitz et al., 2021 ). Fewer studies have considered IPV, although the authors of one study found that women with a history of IPV had higher odds of depressive and anxiety symptoms during the pandemic compared with those who did not report this history (Raj et al., 2020 ).…”

Childhood Adversity Moderates Change in Latent Patterns of Psychological Adjustment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Survey of U.S. Adults

“…When the variance associated with autonomic reactivity was removed, the direct effects of adversity history on mental health consequences of the pandemic were greatly attenuated. Other findings from cross-sectional (e.g., Kalia et al 2020) and longitudinal studies (John-Henderson et al 2021;Shreffler et al 2021) in the U.S. have reported the important impact of adversity on reactions to the pandemic. For example, Kalia et al (2020) found a significant indirect effect of childhood maltreatment on state anxiety via perceived threat of COVID-19, which included perceived risk of contracting the virus and the overall impact and severity of the pandemic.…”