title: Psychometric functioning, socio-demographic variability of childhood maltreatment in the general population and its effects of depression.
abstract: Maltreatment of children is a major public-health and social-welfare problem but socio-demographic variability has received little attention. This work addresses such variability in a general population cohort and associations with depression. Analyses were based on the cross-sectional SHIP-LEGEND examination among 2265 adults (29-89 years). Childhood maltreatment was multi-dimensionally assessed with the German 28-item Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ): emotional neglect; emotional abuse; physical neglect; physical abuse; sexual abuse. Non-linear associations between CTQ responses and age were assessed with fractional polynomials and cubic splines. Scale properties were analysed with confirmatory factor analyses and item response models. Associations between childhood maltreatment domains and depression [Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)] were assessed. The majority (58.9%) reported events indicative of at least mild levels of childhood maltreatment. CTQ subscales showed characteristically different non-linear associations to age across the five studied domains, indicating methodological issues like recall bias and the influence of seminal events. Psychometric scale properties were acceptable to good for all subscales except for physical neglect. Associations to depression measures varied systematically across socio-demographic strata. We conclude that socio-demographic variability is a major issue when studying self-reported childhood maltreatment in a community sample. This needs to be taken into account for the study of associations to psychiatric key outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Carsten Oliver
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Appel
authors.forename: Jessie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mahler
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spitzer
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wingenfeld
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barnow
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Driessen
authors.forename: Harald J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Freyberger
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Völzke
authors.forename: Hans J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Grabe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D018672:Community Health Planning; D003710:Demography; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; childhood maltreatment; depression; psychometry; socio-demographic variability