Childhood trauma and neighborhood-level crime interact in predicting adult posttraumatic stress and major depression symptoms.
Previous research has identified several individual-level factors that modify the risk of childhood trauma on adult psychiatric symptoms, including symptoms of major depression (MD) and posttraumatic stress (PTS). Neighborhood-level factors also influence the impact of individual-level exposures on adult psychopathology. However, no prior studies to our knowledge have explored cross-level interactions between childhood trauma and neighborhood-level factors on MD and PTS symptoms. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore cross-level interactions between a neighborhood-level factor - neighborhood-level crime - and childhood trauma on MD and PTS symptoms. Participants in this study (N=3192) were recruited from a large public hospital, and completed self-report inventories of childhood trauma and MD and PTS symptoms. Participant addresses were mapped onto 2010 census tracts, and data on crime within each tract were collected. Multilevel models found a significant cross-level interaction between childhood trauma and neighborhood crime on MD symptoms, such that the influence of high levels of childhood trauma on MD symptoms was enhanced for participants living in high-crime neighborhoods. Supplementary analyses found variation in the strength of cross-level interaction terms by types of childhood trauma and crime, with the strongest associations including emotional neglect paired with personal and property crime. The results provide preliminary support for interventions that help childhood trauma survivors find housing in less vulnerable neighborhoods and build skills to cope with neighborhood crime.
Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, USA.
Sarah R
SR
Lowe
Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, USA.
James W
JW
Quinn
Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research, Fred Hutchinson Research Center, USA.
Catherine A
CA
Richards
Emory University School of Medicine, USA.
John
J
Pothen
Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, USA.
Andrew
A
Rundle
Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, USA.
Sandro
S
Galea
Department of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, USA.
Kerry J
KJ
Ressler
Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, USA.
Karestan C
KC
Koenen
Atlanta VA Medical Center, Mental Health Service Line, and Department of Psychiatry, Emory School of Medicine, USA.
Bekh
B
Bradley
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000069586:Adult Survivors of Child Adverse Events / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult
Childhood trauma; Cross-level interaction; Major depression; Multilevel modeling; Neighborhood crime; Posttraumatic stress