Latent Profiles of Childhood Maltreatment and Their Associations with Emotional Reactivity, Alexithymia, and Emotion Regulation in Chinese College Students

Childhood maltreatment represents a widespread global public health issue that is closely linked to a variety of emotional symptoms, such as depression and anxiety. Considering these symptoms are often linked to common problems in emotional functioning, this study aimed to examine the patterns of childhood maltreatment and their association with three core aspects of emotional functioning: emotional reactivity, alexithymia, and emotion regulation. In total, 945 Chinese college students (mean age: 21.53 ± 1.15 years) completed the Chinese version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale, Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire, and Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory. The latent profile analysis identified three optimal classes of childhood maltreatment: low childhood maltreatment (77.35%), predominantly neglect (13.02%), and high childhood maltreatment (9.63%) patterns fitted the data best. The regression mixed model results showed that both the predominantly neglect and high childhood maltreatment classes demonstrated comparable deficits in negative emotion regulation and alexithymia, as well as in positive emotional reactivity. However, the predominantly neglect class exhibited more pronounced impairments in negative emotional reactivity compared to high childhood maltreatment class, while the high childhood maltreatment class demonstrated more severe impairments in positive emotion regulation and alexithymia than the predominantly neglect class. The present results help clarify the specific associations between distinct childhood maltreatment patterns and emotional functioning, indicating the necessity of developing targeted intervention strategies for individuals with different childhood maltreatment patterns in the future. Additionally, it offers guidance for early childhood education. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to investigate the impact of various patterns of childhood maltreatment on the developmental trajectory of emotional functioning. Additionally, it is essential to consider the sensitive periods during which childhood maltreatment influences emotional functioning.