Childhood emotional abuse and mental health in college students: the mediating role of total and interpersonal stressor exposure.

OBJECTIVE

Childhood emotional abuse is related to mental health disorders, yet little is known about mechanisms underlying this association. We examined daily stressors as mediators of this link.

PARTICIPANTS

Longitudinal data from college students were collected across two studies (ns = 306 and 362). Both samples were primarily White, heterosexual, and women.

METHODS

In Study 1, participants completed a measure of current stressors and psychological adjustment two weeks after completing a measure of childhood trauma. In Study 2, participants completed a baseline measure of childhood trauma, 14 days of stressor exposure surveys, and then a distress measure.

RESULTS

Greater childhood emotional abuse was related to experiencing more total and interpersonal stressors, and stressors were related to poorer mental health. Indirect effects of both stressors were significant.

CONCLUSION

Early adversity may bring about more stressors in adulthood, which might explain why survivors of childhood emotional abuse report poorer mental health as adults.