Social contact recovery and depressive symptoms after the pandemic lockdowns: the lasting impact of child neglect.

BACKGROUND

Child maltreatment is a major risk factor for depression and impairs social functioning in adulthood. The COVID-19 pandemic, through its widespread social restrictions, provided a unique opportunity to examine how adults with and without histories of child maltreatment re-established social contacts after a shared period of isolation.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated whether adults with a history of child maltreatment were slower to recover social contact after the COVID-19 lockdowns and whether these social contact trajectories predicted depressive symptoms one year after the pandemic.

METHOD: Longitudinal data from the German cohort of the ADJUST study (N = 701) were analysed across five waves collected between June 2020 and April 2024. Child maltreatment (conceptualised to include both domains of child abuse and neglect) was assessed at baseline. Social contact frequency and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) were measured at all timepoints. Cumulative link mixed models and linear regressions examined associations between child maltreatment, social contact change, and depressive symptoms while controlling for sociodemographic variables and baseline depression.

RESULTS

Overall, social contact increased as restrictions eased. While overall child maltreatment was not associated with social contact change, child neglect (but not abuse) predicted weaker increases in social contact over time, suggesting reduced social re-engagement. Child neglect was significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms one year after the pandemic, even when baseline symptoms were controlled. Greater individual increases in social contact recovery predicted lower depressive symptoms, and this association was stronger among participants with a maltreatment history.

CONCLUSIONS

Recovery of social contact after large-scale social disruptions is impaired among adults with a history of child neglect and is associated with persistent depressive symptoms. Interventions fostering social reconnection and trust rebuilding may mitigate long-term mental-health risks among neglect survivors.