TY - JOUR
T1 - Day-to-day affect fluctuations in adults with childhood trauma history
T2 - a two-week ecological momentary assessment study
AU - Kuzminskaite, Erika
AU - Vinkers, Christiaan H
AU - Smit, Arnout C
AU - van Ballegooijen, Wouter
AU - Elzinga, Bernet M
AU - Riese, Harriëtte
AU - Milaneschi, Yuri
AU - Penninx, Brenda W J H
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - BACKGROUND: Childhood trauma (CT) may increase vulnerability to psychopathology through affective dysregulation (greater variability, autocorrelation, and instability of emotional symptoms). However, CT associations with dynamic affect fluctuations while considering differences in mean affect levels across CT status have been understudied.METHODS: 346 adults (age = 49.25 ± 12.55, 67.0% female) from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety participated in ecological momentary assessment. Positive and negative affect (PA, NA) were measured five times per day for two weeks by electronic diaries. Retrospectively-reported CT included emotional neglect and emotional/physical/sexual abuse. Linear regressions determined associations between CT and affect fluctuations, controlling for age, sex, education, and mean affect levels.RESULTS: Compared to those without CT, individuals with CT reported significantly lower mean PA levels (Cohen's d = -0.620) and higher mean NA levels ( d = 0.556) throughout the two weeks. CT was linked to significantly greater PA variability ( d = 0.336), NA variability ( d = 0.353), and NA autocorrelation ( d = 0.308), with strongest effects for individuals reporting higher CT scores. However, these effects were entirely explained by differences in mean affect levels between the CT groups. Findings suggested consistency of results in adults with and without lifetime depressive/anxiety disorders and across CT types, with sexual abuse showing the smallest effects. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with CT show greater affective dysregulation during the two-week monitoring of emotional symptoms, likely due to their consistently lower PA and higher NA levels. It is essential to consider mean affect level when interpreting the impact of CT on affect dynamics.
AB - BACKGROUND: Childhood trauma (CT) may increase vulnerability to psychopathology through affective dysregulation (greater variability, autocorrelation, and instability of emotional symptoms). However, CT associations with dynamic affect fluctuations while considering differences in mean affect levels across CT status have been understudied.METHODS: 346 adults (age = 49.25 ± 12.55, 67.0% female) from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety participated in ecological momentary assessment. Positive and negative affect (PA, NA) were measured five times per day for two weeks by electronic diaries. Retrospectively-reported CT included emotional neglect and emotional/physical/sexual abuse. Linear regressions determined associations between CT and affect fluctuations, controlling for age, sex, education, and mean affect levels.RESULTS: Compared to those without CT, individuals with CT reported significantly lower mean PA levels (Cohen's d = -0.620) and higher mean NA levels ( d = 0.556) throughout the two weeks. CT was linked to significantly greater PA variability ( d = 0.336), NA variability ( d = 0.353), and NA autocorrelation ( d = 0.308), with strongest effects for individuals reporting higher CT scores. However, these effects were entirely explained by differences in mean affect levels between the CT groups. Findings suggested consistency of results in adults with and without lifetime depressive/anxiety disorders and across CT types, with sexual abuse showing the smallest effects. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with CT show greater affective dysregulation during the two-week monitoring of emotional symptoms, likely due to their consistently lower PA and higher NA levels. It is essential to consider mean affect level when interpreting the impact of CT on affect dynamics.
U2 - 10.1017/S0033291723002969
DO - 10.1017/S0033291723002969
M3 - Article
C2 - 37811562
SN - 0033-2917
VL - 54
SP - 1160
EP - 1171
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
IS - 6
ER -