Our manuscript “Differential effects of childhood maltreatment types and timing on psychopathology in formerly out-of-home placed young adults” has now been published Open Access in European Psychiatry. It can be accessed here.
We assessed how type and timing of childhood maltreatment (CM) shape the risk for internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in adulthood. Our sample is characterised by high prevalence rates of neglect, persisting throughout childhood and adolescence, despite being placed out of home at 11 years of age on average. Rates of abuse and peer violence were increasing with time, peaking in adolescence. Using conditional random forest regressions, a machine learning approach, we showed that CM severity and multiplicity were the most important predictors of internalizing problems, followed by peer victimisation in mid-to-late adolescence, with minor effects of early parental and late adolescent sexual abuse. Regarding externalizing problems, CM severity, parental abuse in early childhood, and effects of peer violence in mid- to-late adolescence were most important, with minor effects of sexual abuse in late adolescence. Most effects were replicated using data from clinical interviews.
Our results showcase how complex CM trajectories of institutionalised individuals are and that diverse maltreatment experiences may derive from various sources, e.g. parents (e.g., before or during the placement, if they are still in contact) and peers (e.g. during the placement). Complementing the prevention of transdiagnostic risk factors, such as CM, the promotion of accessible and suitable interventions for vulnerable populations might counteract some maltreatment-associated risks, especially if type- and timing-specific CM reports are acknowledged.