Queen's University Belfast, UK.
Ulster University, UK.
J Interpers Violence. 2021 Feb;36(3-4):NP2112-2136NP. doi: 10.1177/0886260518755489. Epub 2018 Feb 15.
The detrimental impact of early trauma, particularly childhood maltreatment, on mental health is well documented. Although it is understood that social support can act as a protective factor toward mental health for children who experience such adversity, few studies have addressed the experience of childhood maltreatment and the important function of social support in adulthood. The current study aimed to assess the mediating role of social support in the relationship between childhood experiences of maltreatment and mental health outcomes including anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and problematic alcohol use in a sample of university students ( = 640) from Northern Ireland. Results of binary logistic regression analyses indicated that those reporting experiences of childhood maltreatment were at increased odds of mental health outcomes of PTSD, anxiety, and depression, but not alcohol use. Those reporting greater social support were significantly less likely to report on these mental health outcomes. In addition, the indirect paths from childhood maltreatment through social support to PTSD, depression, and anxiety were all significant, suggesting that social support, particularly family support, is a significant mediator of these relationships. Such findings have important implications for the social care response to children experiencing maltreatment and future support for such children as they transition to adolescence and adulthood.
早期创伤，尤其是儿童期虐待，对心理健康的有害影响已有充分记录。尽管人们明白，社会支持可以作为儿童在经历这种逆境时保护心理健康的一个因素，但很少有研究涉及儿童期虐待的经历以及社会支持在成年期的重要作用。本研究旨在评估社会支持在北爱尔兰大学生样本（n=640）中，儿童期虐待经历与心理健康结果（包括焦虑、抑郁、创伤后应激障碍和酒精使用问题）之间的关系中的中介作用。二元逻辑回归分析的结果表明，那些报告有儿童期虐待经历的人，出现创伤后应激障碍、焦虑和抑郁等心理健康结果的几率增加，但酒精使用问题的几率没有增加。那些报告有更多社会支持的人，报告这些心理健康结果的可能性显著降低。此外，童年虐待通过社会支持与创伤后应激障碍、抑郁和焦虑的间接途径都是显著的，这表明社会支持，特别是家庭支持，是这些关系的重要中介。这些发现对社会对遭受虐待的儿童的反应以及对这些儿童在过渡到青春期和成年期时的未来支持具有重要意义。
