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Objective and subjective experiences of child maltreatment and their relationships with psychopathology

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  • Andrea Danese

    (King’s College London
    Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London
    South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust)

  • Cathy Spatz Widom

    (City University of New York
    City University of New York)

Abstract

Does psychopathology develop as a function of the objective or subjective experience of childhood maltreatment? To address this question, we studied a unique cohort of 1,196 children with both objective, court-documented evidence of maltreatment and subjective reports of their childhood maltreatment histories made once they reached adulthood, along with extensive psychiatric assessment. We found that, even for severe cases of childhood maltreatment identified through court records, risk of psychopathology linked to objective measures was minimal in the absence of subjective reports. In contrast, risk of psychopathology linked to subjective reports of childhood maltreatment was high, whether or not the reports were consistent with objective measures. These findings have important implications for how we study the mechanisms through which child maltreatment affects mental health and how we prevent or treat maltreatment-related psychopathology. Interventions for psychopathology associated with childhood maltreatment can benefit from deeper understanding of the subjective experience.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Danese & Cathy Spatz Widom, 2020. "Objective and subjective experiences of child maltreatment and their relationships with psychopathology," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(8), pages 811-818, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:4:y:2020:i:8:d:10.1038_s41562-020-0880-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0880-3
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    1. Kampling, Hanna & Riedl, David & Hettich, Nora & Lampe, Astrid & Nolte, Tobias & Zara, Sandra & Ernst, Mareike & Brähler, Elmar & Sachser, Cedric & Fegert, Jörg M. & Gingelmaier, Stephan & Fonagy, Pet, 2024. "To trust or not to trust in the thrall of the COVID-19 pandemic: Conspiracy endorsement and the role of adverse childhood experiences, epistemic trust, and personality functioning," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 341(C).

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