Negative affect provides a context for increased distrust in the daily lives of individuals with childhood maltreatment

Abstract

This manuscript is accepted for publication in the Journal of Traumatic Stress (2023/04/20). Abstract: Cognitive models suggest that trauma engenders distrust and interpersonal threat sensitivity, which is supported by previous evidence on individuals affected by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childhood maltreatment (CM). We tested whether CM is associated with distrust and interpersonal threat sensitivity in daily life, and whether momentary negative affect (NA) provides a context that strengthens this association. Hypotheses were based on cognitive models of trauma and the feelings-as-information theory. In a seven-day ambulatory assessment study with six semi-random daily prompts (2,295 total), we measured self-reported momentary NA, and assessed behavioral trust as well as interpersonal threat sensitivity via facial emotion ratings with two novel experimental paradigms in 61 individuals with varying levels of CM (45,900 trials total). As hypothesized, NA was associated with increased momentary distrust (ß = 0.03, p = .002) and interpersonal threat sensitivity (ß = -0.01, p = .021). Higher levels of CM were associated with more negative emotion ratings, independent of affective context (ß = -0.07, p = .003). Momentary behavioral distrust was associated with CM at high levels of momentary NA (ß = 0.02, p = .027). Findings for both tasks support the feeling-as-information theory and suggest that cognitive alterations surrounding distrust and interpersonal threat, which were originally proposed for PTSD, likely also affect those with CM.