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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Research has well-established that childhood maltreatment is associated with depressive and social anxiety symptoms in adults. Emotional support has been proposed as a mediator, yet research investigating the unique contributions of emotional support from friends, family members, and romantic partners in adulthood is sparse.
OBJECTIVE: The current study tested emotional support from family, friends, and romantic partners as mechanisms linking childhood maltreatment to depressive and social anxiety symptoms in adults.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants for the current study (N = 798) included adults in a committed romantic relationship and completed both the second wave of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS 2) as well as the MIDUS 2 biomarker follow-up project. Emotional support from family, friends, and romantic partners was measured at MIDUS 2 and mental health symptoms were reported at the MIDUS 2 biomarker follow up.
RESULTS: Emotional support from friends was identified as a mechanism from maltreatment to social anxiety symptoms (ß =.04, 95 % CI [.019,.066]), emotional support from family members was a mechanism to depressive symptoms (ß =.09, 95 % CI [.045,.146]), and emotional support from romantic partners was a mechanism for both depressive (ß =.02, 95 % CI [.005,.048]) and social anxiety symptoms (ß =.03, 95 % CI [.008,.048]).
CONCLUSIONS: The current study documents that emotional support may be a mechanism linking childhood maltreatment to mental health symptoms. Emotional support from different sources appear to be of significant importance in understanding adult mental health. Clinical implications are discussed.
Language: en |