Impact of maltreatment, shame and self-criticism on psychological difficulties: A variable- and a person-centred approach with adolescents from community and residential youth care.

Background: Childhood maltreatment is recognized as a primary contributor to psychological distress. Adolescents living in residential youth care (RYC) are a particularly vulnerable group, as their placement often results from repeated maltreatment. Nevertheless, the intermediary processes between maltreatment and psychological distress remain less clear. Previous research has identified the transdiagnostic value of feelings of shame and self-criticism, as well as the connection between childhood maltreatment and these two variables, yet no conceptual model integrating them has been tested.

Objective: To propose a conceptual model that integrates the experience of childhood maltreatment with feelings of shame, and self-criticism, and examines their contribution to psychological difficulties in RYC adolescents, compared with adolescents living with their families.

Participants and setting: Adolescents from RYC (N = 313) and community (N = 272) were invited to answer self-report questionnaires.

Methods: A variable-centred (path analysis) and a person-centred approach (latent profile analysis) were conducted to examine the role of childhood maltreatment, feelings of shame, and self-criticism on psychological difficulties.

Results: Variable-centred results showed experiences of childhood maltreatment were only indirectly (via feelings of shame and self-criticism) associated with psychological difficulties, for both RYC and community adolescents. Person-centred analysis was performed exclusively for RYC adolescents, and allowed to identify three vulnerability profiles based on low, moderate and high levels of childhood maltreatment, feelings of shame and self-criticism. The high vulnerability profile was associated with higher levels of internalised and externalised psychological difficulties.

Conclusions: Feelings of shame and self-criticism seem to be key variables linking childhood maltreatment to psychological difficulties in adolescence. Psychological assessment and intervention protocols within RYC should address feelings of shame and self-criticism to counteract psychological difficulties in this particularly vulnerable population.