Association between childhood maltreatment with subthreshold depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder in young and middle-aged adults

BACKGROUND Childhood maltreatment has a potentially lasting influence on subthreshold depressive symptoms (SDS) and major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aimed to explore the association of childhood maltreatment with MDD and SDS, focusing on the differences between young and middle-aged adults. AIM To examine the associations among childhood maltreatment, SDS, and MDD in young and middle-aged adults. METHODS A total of 3209 adults were recruited from 34 primary healthcare settings. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-28 item Short Form was used to assess childhood maltreatment. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess SDS and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview depression module was used to assess MDD. RESULTS Childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with higher odds of developing SDS and MDD than in the non-depressed control group (P < 0.05). Childhood maltreatment significantly increased the risk of developing SDS in young adults but was not significantly associated with SDS in middle-aged adults (P = 0.055). Conversely, childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with MDD in both young (P < 0.001) and middle-aged adults (P < 0.05). In young adults, various types of childhood maltreatment were associated with MDD; however, only emotional abuse and neglect were significantly associated with MDD in middle-aged adults. CONCLUSION Our study revealed a strong association among childhood maltreatment, SDS, and MDD across age groups, highlighting the impact of emotional abuse and need for trauma-informed depression care.