Childhood Maltreatment and its Mental Health Consequences among University's Students

Background: Childhood maltreatment is associated with a higher likelihood of developing a mental illness during adolescence and adulthood.Objective: (1) Investigate the correlations between CM and depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and difficulties in emotion regulation (DER) (2) assess the depression, anxiety, OCD, and DER in a sample of Egyptian university students in two-time points (baseline, and 12-months later). Participants and Setting: A total of 319 university students were asked to complete questionnaires. Method: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS), and Emotion Regulation Difficulties Questionnaire (DERS). Results: Childhood maltreatment significantly affects students’ depression. t(1) = 40.1, p < .000, anxiety t(1) = 16.3, p < .000, OCD t(1) = 22.9, p < .000 and emotional regulation problems. t(1) = 105.6, p < .000. 2) After 1 year of university, students felt more depressed, anxious, had more obsessions and compulsions, and had greater difficulty regulating their emotions ( ps < .000) Conclusions: Childhood maltreatment should be considered as a serious health threat with significant impacts on mental health. Specific treatment and prevention approaches for university students’ mental health problems are urgently needed. Implications for Marriage and Family Counselors are included.