The effects of childhood trauma on personality in unaffected first-degree relatives of patients with major depressive disorder

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Yu-jie Wen, Capital Medical University; Qi-jing Bo, Capital Medical University; Wen-peng Hou, Capital Medical University; Zhen Mao, Capital Medical University; Feng Li, Capital Medical University; Fan He, Capital Medical University; Fang Dong, Capital Medical University; Xin Ma, Capital Medical University; Yilang Tang, Emory University; Xian-bin Li, Capital Medical University; Chuan-yue Wang, Capital Medical University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-05-03
• Publisher: BMC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2022
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03909-z
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: BMC PSYCHIATRY
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 312
• End Page: 312
• Grant/Funding Information: This study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (81971287, 81601169, 81471365), the Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals Clinical Medicine Development of Special Funding Support (ZYLX201807, XLMX201807), Capital’s Funds for Health Improvement and Research (2018-2-2123), and Natural Science Foundation of Capital Medical University (PYZ20001).
• Keywords: ASSOCIATIONS; HERITABILITY; Childhood trauma; TEMPERAMENTS; ABUSE; Personality; MALTREATMENT; OUTPATIENTS; First-degree relatives; STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS; SYMPTOMS; TRAITS; SEVERITY; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Major depressive disorder; Science & Technology; Psychiatry
• Research Categories: Psychology, Personality; Psychology, Clinical; Psychology, Behavioral

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to preliminarily and exploratorily examine the associations between childhood trauma (CT), its subtypes, and personality traits among unaffected first-degree relatives (FDR, children, or siblings) of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: The study sample included three subgroups: MDD patients (N = 85), Patients’ FDRs (N = 35), and healthy control individuals (HC, N = 89). The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to assess childhood trauma and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was used to assess personality traits. Results: Significant differences were found in a few personality traits (p < 0.05 for extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism) among MDD patients, FDR, and HC, and there were no significant differences between HC and FDR. In the FDR group, compared with those without CT, participants with CT scored significantly higher for neuroticism (N) (F = 3.246, p = 0.046). CT was significantly associated with N, psychoticism (P) and Lie (L), and the strongest association was between CT total score and N. Significantly positive correlations were found between N and sexual abuse (SA) (r = 0.344, p = 0.043), emotional neglect (EN) (r = 0.394, p = 0.019), physical neglect (PN) (r = 0.393, p = 0.019), and CTQ total score (r = 0.452, p = 0.006); between P and CTQ total score (r = 0.336, p = 0.049); and significant negative correlations were found between L and EN (r = -0.446, p = 0.007), CTQ total score (r = -0.375, p = 0.027). Conclusion: In unaffected FDRs, there were significant associations between childhood trauma and a few personality traits, including neuroticism, psychoticism, and lie, and emotional neglect was significantly associated with neuroticism.