title: The differential relation of childhood maltreatment to stress sensitization in adolescent and young adult depression.
abstract: Childhood maltreatment has been shown to have a stronger etiological relation to depression onset in adolescence than in adulthood. We propose that a maltreatment history may more strongly sensitize individuals to the depressogenic effects of proximal stressful life events in adolescence compared to adulthood. In an amalgamated sample of 176 unipolar depressed adolescents (age 12-17) and emerging adults (age 18-29), we examined the moderating role of age group on the relation of childhood maltreatment to sensitization to stressors that occurred just prior to episode onset. Among adolescents, but not among adults, those with a maltreatment history reported a lower severity level of life events prior to episode onset than reported by those without such a history. Further, this relation was specific to emotional abuse, and not physical or sexual abuse. We suggest that the pathological mechanisms associated with translating childhood maltreatment to depression may differ across developmental periods.
authors: Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Canada. Electronic address: 8rcl2@queensu.ca.
authors: Cherie L
authors: CL
authors: La Rocque
authors: Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Canada.
authors: Kate L
authors: KL
authors: Harkness
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada.
authors: R Michael
authors: RM
authors: Bagby
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescence; Childhood maltreatment; Depression; Developmental periods; Stress sensitization; Stressful life events