Childhood trauma and post-traumatic stress symptoms in autoimmune and non-autoimmune hypothyroidism: Implications for clinical psychiatry

Objective This study aimed to compare childhood trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and general psychopathology among patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), non-autoimmune hypothyroidism (NAIH), and controls, and to explore whether thyroid autoimmunity plays a specific role in trauma-related psychopathology. Methods A total of 120 participants were evaluated: 40 with HT, 41 with NAIH, and 39 controls. All completed standardized psychiatric assessments – the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and Brief Symptom Inventory. Thyroid function and anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) levels were obtained from hospital records. Results Both HT and NAIH showed significantly higher post-traumatic stress and general psychopathology scores than controls ( p < .002). Childhood adversity was most pronounced in HT, followed by NAIH and controls. Emotional neglect was markedly higher in HT compared with both NAIH and controls ( p < .05). In both patient groups, trauma scores correlated positively with post-traumatic stress and psychopathology measures (r = 0.35–0.65, p < .01), whereas no significant relationship was observed between anti-TPO levels and psychiatric scales. Conclusions Childhood adversity, particularly emotional neglect, was most evident in HT, yet both hypothyroid groups exhibited increased trauma-related and psychopathological symptoms. As autoimmunity was assessed only by anti-TPO levels, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and examined in future studies using broader immunological markers.