Does childhood maltreatment intensify distress responses to the pandemic?

When exposed to stressors, individuals who have previously experienced childhood trauma react more strongly and experience higher levels of distress. Becca Gibbons, a senior at Emory University, set out to examine whether experiences of childhood maltreatment are a risk factor for distress experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

103 female participants completed surveys which assessed their distress 3 months before the outbreak of Covid-19 (“pre-pandemic”) and during the pandemic (“peri-pandemic”). Between these two time points, general worry and anxiousness both increased while enjoyment of activities decreased. For the 44 participants who showed increased general worry, the rate of this increase was significantly associated with experiences of childhood maltreatment.

The sample was predominantly (88.3%) comprised of Black participants. Throughout the pandemic, Black and African American individuals have experienced serious health disparities. This might make the pandemic a particularly salient stressor.

Gibbons will present these preliminary findings at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) conference on Friday, March 18th.