Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

The mediating effects of childhood neglect on the association between schizotypal and autistic personality traits and depression in a non-clinical sample

Authors: Jianbo Liu, Jingbo Gong, Guanghui Nie, Yuqiong He, Bo Xiao, Yanmei Shen, Xuerong Luo

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Autistic personality traits (APT) and schizotypal personality traits (SPT) are associated with depression. However, mediating factors within these relationships have not yet been explored. Thus, the focus of the current study was to examine the effects of childhood neglect on the relationship between APT/SPT and depression.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on first-year students (N = 2469) at Hunan University of Chinese Medicine and Hengyang Normal College (Changsha, China). Participants completed surveys on APT, SPT, childhood neglect, abuse and depression.

Results

Through correlational analyses, APT and SPT traits were positively correlated with childhood neglect and depression (p < 0.05). In a hierarchical regression analysis, among types of childhood maltreatment, emotional neglect (β = 0.112, p < 0.001) and physical neglect (β = 0.105, p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of depression. Childhood neglect did not account for the relationships between APT/SPT and depression. Further analysis found that childhood neglect mediated the relationship between SPT and depression but not APT and depression.

Conclusions

Among types of childhood maltreatment, neglect was the strongest predicting factor for depression. Neglect did not account for the relationship between APT/SPT and depression but was a strong mediating factor between SPT and depression.
Literature
1.
Bitsika V, Sharpley CF, Andronicos NM, Agnew LL. Prevalence, structure and correlates of anxiety-depression in boys with an autism spectrum disorder. Res Dev Disabil. 2016;49-50:302–11.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Onwuameze OE, Uga A, Paradiso S. Longitudinal assessment of clinical risk factors for depression in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Ann Clin Psychiat. 2016;28(3):167–74.
3.
Matson JL, Williams LW. Depression and mood disorders among persons with autism spectrum disorders. Res Dev Disabil. 2014;35(9):2003–7.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Matson JL, Nebel-Schwalm MS. Comorbid psychopathology with autism spectrum disorder in children: an overview. Res Dev Disabil. 2007;28(4):341–52.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Altamura AC, Boin F, Maes M. HPA axis and cytokines dysregulation in schizophrenia: potential implications for the antipsychotic treatment. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 1999;10(1):1–4.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Sharpley CF, Bitsika V, Andronicos NM, Agnew LL. Further evidence of HPA-axis dysregulation and its correlation with depression in autism Spectrum disorders: data from girls. Physiol Behav. 2016;167:110–7.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Rai V. Association of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene C677T polymorphism with autism: evidence of genetic susceptibility. Metab Brain Dis. 2016;31(4):727–35.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Sayadi MA, Achour O, Ezzaher A, Hellara I, Omezzine A, Douki W, Bousslama A, Gaha L, Najjar MF. CT genotype of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism is protector factor of major depressive disorder in the Tunisian population: a case control study. Ann General Psychiatry. 2016;15:18.CrossRef
9.
Gonzalez-Castro TB, Hernandez-Diaz Y, Juarez-Rojop IE, Lopez-Narvaez ML, Tovilla-Zarate CA, Fresan A. The role of a Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met genetic polymorphism in schizophrenia: a systematic review and updated meta-analysis on 32,816 subjects. NeuroMolecular Med. 2016;18(2):216–31.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Liu J, Wu J, Nie G, Zeng W, Zhang M, Tan L, Fu P, Yang L. Catechol-O-methyl transferase SNP rs4680 influence risk of mood disorder: a meta-analysis. Int J Clin Exp Med. 2016;9(6):6152–65.
11.
Romero-Martinez A, Moya-Albiol L, Vinkhuyzen AA, Polderman TJ. Genetic and environmental contributions to the inverse association between specific autistic traits and experience seeking in adults. Am J Med Genet Part B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2015;171(8):1190–1197.CrossRef
12.
Meehl PE. Schizotaxia, schizotypy, schizophrenia. Am Psychol. 1962;17(12):827.CrossRef
13.
Mealey A, Abbott G, Byrne LK, McGillivray J. Overlap between autistic and schizotypal personality traits is not accounted for by anxiety and depression. Psychiatry Res. 2014;219(2):380–5.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Fonseca-Pedrero E, Paino M, Lemos-Giraldez S, Muniz J. Schizotypal traits and depressive symptoms in nonclinical adolescents. Compr Psychiatry. 2011;52(3):293–300.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Liew SM, Thevaraja N, Hong RY, Magiati I. The relationship between autistic traits and social anxiety, worry, obsessive-compulsive, and depressive symptoms: specific and non-specific mediators in a student sample. J Autism Dev Disord. 2015;45(3):858–72.CrossRefPubMed
16.
Towbin KE, Pradella A, Gorrindo T, Pine DS, Leibenluft E. Autism spectrum traits in children with mood and anxiety disorders. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2005;15(3):452–64.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Lin L, Du Q, Hu N, Jia G, Wang P. Study on the correlation between childhood neglect and coping styles of middle school students. CJCHC OCT. 2012;20(10):890–2.
18.
19.
Fang X, Fry DA, Brown DS, Mercy JA, Dunne MP, Butchart AR, Corso PS, Maynzyuk K, Dzhygyr Y, Chen Y, et al. The burden of child maltreatment in the East Asia and Pacific region. Child Abuse Negl. 2015;42:146–62.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
20.
Kim EY, Park J, Kim B. Type of childhood maltreatment and the risk of criminal recidivism in adult probationers: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry. 2016;16:294.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
21.
Li M, D'Arcy C, Meng X. Maltreatment in childhood substantially increases the risk of adult depression and anxiety in prospective cohort studies: systematic review, meta-analysis, and proportional attributable fractions. Psychol Med. 2016;46(4):717–30.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Hermenau K, Eggert I, Landolt MA, Hecker T. Neglect and perceived stigmatization impact psychological distress of orphans in Tanzania. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2015;6:28617.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Grassi-Oliveira R, de Azevedo Gomes CF, Stein LM. False recognition in women with a history of childhood emotional neglect and diagnose of recurrent major depression. Conscious Cogn. 2011;20(4):1127–34.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Bleil Walters J, Hughes TL, Sutton LR, Marshall SN, Crothers LM, Lehman C, Paserba D, Talkington V, Taormina R, Huang A. Maltreatment and depression in adolescent sexual offenders with an autism spectrum disorder. J Child Sex Abuse. 2013;22(1):72–89.CrossRef
25.
Sullivan PM, Knutson JF. Maltreatment and disabilities: a population-based epidemiological study. Child Abuse Negl. 2000;24(10):1257–73.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Sobsey R. Violence and abuse in the lives of people with disabilities: The end of silent acceptance?[M]. Baltimore, MD: Paul H Brookes Publishing; 1994.
27.
Esterberg ML, Trotman HD, Brasfield JL, Compton MT, Walker EF. Childhood and current autistic features in adolescents with schizotypal personality disorder. Schizophr Res. 2008;104(1–3):265–73.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
28.
Holmboe K, Rijsdijk FV, Hallett V, Happe F, Plomin R, Ronald A. Strong genetic influences on the stability of autistic traits in childhood. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014;53(2):221–30.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
29.
Berenbaum H, Valera EM, Kerns JG. Psychological trauma and schizotypal symptoms. Schizophr Bull. 2003;29(1):143–52.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Bernstein DP, Ahluvalia T, Pogge D, Handelsman L. Validity of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire in an adolescent psychiatric population. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997;36(3):340–48.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Skinner R, Martin J, Clubley E. The autism-spectrum quotient (AQ): evidence from Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. J Autism Dev Disord. 2001;31(1):5–17.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Zhang L, Sun Y, Chen F, Wu D, Tang J, Han X, Ye J, Wang K. Psychometric properties of the autism-Spectrum quotient in both clinical and non-clinical samples: Chinese version for mainland China. BMC Psychiatry. 2016;16:213.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
33.
Raine A. The SPQ: a scale for the assessment of schizotypal personality based on DSM-III-R criteria. Schizophr Bull. 1991;17(4):555–64.CrossRefPubMed
34.
Chen WJ, Hsiao CK, Lin CC. Schizotypy in community samples: the three-factor structure and correlation with sustained attention. J Abnorm Psychol. 1997;106(4):649–54.CrossRefPubMed
35.
Bernstein DP, Fink L, Handelsman L, Foote J, Lovejoy M, Wenzel K, Sapareto E, Ruggiero J. Initial reliability and validity of a new retrospective measure of child abuse and neglect. Am J Psychiatry. 1994;151(8):1132–6.CrossRefPubMed
36.
WQ F, Yao SQ, HH Y, Zhao XF. Initial reliablity and valiadity of childhoood truama questinnaire(CTQ-SF) apllied in Chinese college students. Chin J Clin Psychol. 2005;13(1):40–2.
37.
38.
Zhang DX, Luo JH, Peng LZ, Yu Z. Factor analysis on survey results of the self rating depression scale(SDS) in students. J Kunming Med Univ. 2012;5(33):61–3.
39.
Mackinnon DP, Lockwood CM, Williams J. Confidence limits for the indirect effect: distribution of the product and Resampling methods. Multivar Behav Res. 2004;39(1):99.CrossRef
40.
Goodall K, Rush R, Grunwald L, Darling S, Tiliopoulos N. Attachment as a partial mediator of the relationship between emotional abuse and schizotypy. Psychiatry Res. 2015;230(2):531–6.CrossRefPubMed
41.
Hu L, Bentler PM. Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct Equ Model Multidiscip J. 1999;6(1):1–55.CrossRef
42.
43.
Shi YF, Wang Y, Cao XY, Wang Y, Wang YN, Zong JG, Xu T, Tse VW, Hsi XL, Stone WS, et al. Experience of pleasure and emotional expression in individuals with schizotypal personality features. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e34147.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
44.
Xu W, Fu Z, Wang J, Zhang Y. Relationship between autistic traits and hoarding in a large non-clinical Chinese sample: mediating effect of anxiety and depression. Psychol Rep. 2015;116(1):23–32.CrossRefPubMed
45.
Matsuo J, Kamio Y, Takahashi H, Ota M, Teraishi T, Hori H, Nagashima A, Takei R, Higuchi T, Motohashi N, et al. Autistic-like traits in adult patients with mood disorders and schizophrenia. PLoS One. 2015;10(4):e0122711.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
46.
Hoekstra RA, Bartels M, Hudziak JJ, Van Beijsterveldt TC, Boomsma DI. Genetic and environmental covariation between autistic traits and behavioral problems. Twin Res Hum Genet. 2007;10(6):853–60.CrossRefPubMed
47.
Noguchi H, Hori H, Kunugi H. Schizotypal traits and cognitive function in healthy adults. Psychiatry Res. 2008;161(2):162–9.CrossRefPubMed
48.
Kim BJ, Nakaoka S, Underwood C. The impacts of social support and cognitive function on depression among community-dwelling older Japanese Americans. Soc Work Public Health. 2016:1–12.
49.
Gong P, Liu J, Blue PR, Li S, Zhou X. Serotonin receptor gene (HTR2A) T102C polymorphism modulates individuals’ perspective taking ability and autistic-like traits. Front Hum Neurosci. 2015;9:575.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
50.
Jokela M, Lehtimaki T, Keltikangas-Jarvinen L. The influence of urban/rural residency on depressive symptoms is moderated by the serotonin receptor 2A gene. Am J Med Gen Part B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2007;144b(7):918–22.CrossRef
51.
Ma X, Sun J, Yao J, Wang Q, Hu X, Deng W, Sun X, Liu X, Murray RM, Collier DA, et al. A quantitative association study between schizotypal traits and COMT, PRODH and BDNF genes in a healthy Chinese population. Psychiatry Res. 2007;153(1):7–15.CrossRefPubMed
52.
Rozycka A, Slopien R, Slopien A, Dorszewska J, Seremak-Mrozikiewicz A, Lianeri M, Maciukiewicz M, Warenik-Szymankiewicz A, Grzelak T, Kurzawinska G, et al. The MAOA, COMT, MTHFR and ESR1 gene polymorphisms are associated with the risk of depression in menopausal women. Maturitas. 2016;84:42–54.CrossRefPubMed
53.
Infurna MR, Reichl C, Parzer P, Schimmenti A, Bifulco A, Kaess M. Associations between depression and specific childhood experiences of abuse and neglect: a meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2016;190:47–55.CrossRefPubMed
54.
Bordner KA, George ED, Carlyle BC, Duque A, Kitchen RR, Lam TT, Colangelo CM, Stone KL, Abbott TB, Mane SM, et al. Functional genomic and proteomic analysis reveals disruption of myelin-related genes and translation in a mouse model of early life neglect. Front Psychiatry. 2011;2:18.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
55.
Montalvo-Ortiz JL, Gelernter J, Hudziak J, Kaufman J. RDoC and translational perspectives on the genetics of trauma-related psychiatric disorders. Am J Med Genet Part B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2016;171b(1):81–91.CrossRef
56.
Schilling C, Weidner K, Brahler E, Glaesmer H, Hauser W, Pohlmann K. Patterns of childhood abuse and neglect in a representative German population sample. PLoS One. 2016;11(7):e0159510.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
57.
Jones RM, Cadby G, Blangero J, Abraham LJ, Whitehouse AJ, Moses EK. MACROD2 gene associated with autistic-like traits in a general population sample. Psychiatr Genet. 2014;24(6):241–8.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
58.
Rijlaarsdam J, van IMH VFC, Jaddoe VW, Felix JF, Tiemeier H, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. Prenatal stress exposure, oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) methylation and child autistic traits: the moderating role of OXTR rs53576 genotype. Autism Res. 2017;10(3):430–38.CrossRefPubMed
59.
Yasuda Y, Hashimoto R, Ohi K, Fukumoto M, Umeda-Yano S, Yamamori H, Okochi T, Iwase M, Kazui H, Iwata N, et al. Impact on schizotypal personality trait of a genome-wide supported psychosis variant of the ZNF804A gene. Neurosci Lett. 2011;495(3):216–20.CrossRefPubMed
60.
Innamorati M, Erbuto D, Venturini P, Fagioli F, Ricci F, Lester D, Amore M, Girardi P, Pompili M. Factorial validity of the childhood trauma questionnaire in Italian psychiatric patients. Psychiatry Res. 2016;245:297–302.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
The mediating effects of childhood neglect on the association between schizotypal and autistic personality traits and depression in a non-clinical sample
Authors
Jianbo Liu
Jingbo Gong
Guanghui Nie
Yuqiong He
Bo Xiao
Yanmei Shen
Xuerong Luo
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1510-0

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

BMC Psychiatry 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research article

A pilot study on feasibility, acceptance and effectiveness of metacognitive-oriented social skills training in schizophrenia

Research article

Similar polysomnographic pattern in primary insomnia and major depression with objective insomnia: a sign of common pathophysiology?

Research article

Comparison of demographic characteristics and psychiatric comorbidity among methamphetamine-, heroin- and methamphetamine-heroin co- dependent males in Hunan, China

Research article

Experiences, perspectives and priorities of people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders regarding sleep disturbance and its treatment: a qualitative study

Research article

Rumination mediates the relationship between overgeneral autobiographical memory and depression in patients with major depressive disorder

Research article

Early life adversity is associated with a smaller hippocampus in male but not female depressed in-patients: a case–control study