(PS6-43) Examining Sex Differences in Childhood Trauma and Its Association with Cognitive and Physical Functioning in People with Depression

Background:

Over 60% of children under 16 are exposed to traumatic events, with over 30% exposed to multiple events. Effects of childhood trauma (CT) often manifest in adulthood through heightened risk of mood and anxiety disorders and reduced. Controlling for similar levels of childhood trauma, women are more likely than men to experience depression and anxiety. We investigated sex-based differences between subcategories of CT and cognitive and physical functioning. The current study examined for both sexes (i) correlation between CT, depression, and anxiety, (ii) association between CT, its subtypes, and physical and cognitive functioning.

Methods:

This is a secondary analysis of baseline data from a study examining impact of three doses of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on inflammatory biomarkers and depressive symptoms. Sixty-one unmedicated adults (75.4% female; 50.8% White, Non-Hispanic; 45.5 ± 13.8 years) with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) were assessed for CT, depression, anxiety, and cognitive and physical functioning symptoms using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), The Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Cognitive and Physical Functioning Questionnaire (CPFQ), respectively. Physical neglect (PN), physical abuse (PA), emotional neglect (EN), emotional abuse (EA), and sexual abuse (SA) were assessed via respective CTQ subscales.

Two-tailed, bivariate analysis assessed correlations between CT, its subtypes, depression, anxiety, cognitive and physical functioning, in men and women separately.

Results:

Depression severity in women was significantly associated with EA (r=.294, p = .047), and PA (r=.371, p=.011). Women’s anxiety severity was significantly associated with CT (r=.332, p=.024), PN (r=.387, p=.008), EA (r=.335, p=.023), and PA (r=.318, p=.031). Additionally, women’s somatic anxiety severity was significantly associated with CT (r=.415, p=.004), EA (r=.436, p=.002), PN (r=.386, p=.008), PA (r=.381, p=.009), and SA (r=.315, p=.033); psychic anxiety severity had no significant associations. Neither somatic or psychic anxiety severity in men had any significant association. Total CPFQ score was significantly associated with EA (r=.521, p=.046) for men. There was no significant correlation between physical functioning and childhood trauma for either sex. However, cognitive functioning was significantly associated with CT (r=.521, p=.046), EA (r=.673, p=.006), and EN (r=.543, p=.036) for men but not for women.

Conclusion:

In women, depression severity was associated with EA, and PA, and anxiety was significantly associated with CT, PN, PA, and EA. The total CPFQ score was only correlated with EA in men. CPFQ physical functioning had no association with either sex, while cognitive functioning was correlated with CT, EA, and EN in men only. Our findings must be further researched in larger samples to inform the development of preventative and clinical efforts for the impact of CT on mental and functional health outcomes for people with depression.