Self-reported patterns of childhood abuse and COVID-19 related depression and problematic behaviors in adolescents: A longitudinal study from China

Background

Extant studies have examined the role of childhood abuse experiences in adolescents' mental and behavioral reactions during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it remained unclear whether different childhood abuse patterns had sensitizing or steeling effects on these psychological and behavioral problems.

Objective

To elucidate the sensitizing or steeling effect of childhood abuse on subsequent adverse experiences, the current study examined patterns of childhood abuse and assessed their effects on adolescents' depressive symptoms and problematic behaviors during the pandemic.

Participants and setting

In total, 1890 adolescents (969 females, mean age 14 years; 187 from a single-parent family, 858 were the only child in their family) were selected to complete self-report questionnaires at three time points (November 2019, November 2020, and November 2021).

Methods

Latent profile analysis was used to identify patterns of childhood abuse, and linear regression analysis was used to assess the predictive effects of childhood abuse patterns on depressive symptoms and problematic behaviors during the pandemic.

Results

The latent profile analysis identified five distinct groups: high physical/emotional abuse group, moderate physical/emotional abuse group, high emotional abuse group, ambivalent abuse group, and low physical/emotional abuse group. Compared with those in the low physical/emotional abuse group, adolescents in the high and moderate physical/emotional abuse groups had a lasting positive association with problematic behaviors, and adolescents in the ambivalent abuse group had a long-term positive association with depressive symptoms during the pandemic.

Conclusions

Preexisting childhood abuse had a sensitizing rather than a steeling effect on depressive symptoms and problematic behaviors during the pandemic. Furthermore, the long-term sensitizing effects mainly occurred in the high and moderate physical/emotional abuse and ambivalent abuse groups.