Measures matter: assessing childhood maltreatment and emotion dysregulation in a transdiagnostic sample

Katja I. Seitz, Inga Schalinski, Babette Renneberg, Nina Heinrichs, Antonia Brühl, Sylvia Steinmann, Corinne Neukel, Sabine C. Herpertz

<b>Background:</b> Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a major risk factor for different mental disorders and transdiagnostic mechanisms, including emotion dysregulation. Progress in the field has been constrained by substantial variability in the measurement of CM across studies. <b>Objective:</b> We aimed to examine the associations among three common retrospective measures of CM and their relationship with emotion dysregulation in a transdiagnostic adult sample, with a focus on exploring the significance of sensitive developmental periods. <b>Method:</b> In our cross-sectional study, we collected data from <i>N</i> = 462 participants with and without different mental disorders. We assessed facets of CM using two questionnaires and one in-person interview, specifically the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire – Short Form (CTQ-SF), the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q), and the brief German interview version of the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure scale (MACE), the KERF-40+. We measured emotion dysregulation in a subsample of <i>n</i> = 244 participants using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). We analysed data applying correlational analyses and machine-learning-based conditional random forest regression. <b>Results:</b> In our transdiagnostic sample, global scores (including sum, multiplicity, and duration scores) and subscale scores of the CTQ-SF, CECA.Q, and KERF-40+ were highly intercorrelated. Both global scores of the CTQ-SF and KERF-40+, and emotional CM scores of the CTQ-SF, CECA.Q, and KERF-40+ showed significant associations with the DERS total score. Regarding sensitive developmental periods, exposure to parental emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and emotional and physical abuse by peers – particularly during the ages 12–17 – was significantly associated with the DERS total score. <b>Conclusions:</b> Despite substantial differences in the facets of CM assessed, the CTQ-SF, CECA.Q, and KERF-40+ demonstrate high convergent validity. While CTQ-SF and CECA.Q allow for a more efficient assessment of CM experiences, the KERF-40+ offers added value for developmentally sensitive analyses of adult emotion dysregulation. Strong convergence across widely used retrospective childhood maltreatment measures (i.e. CTQ-SF, CECA.Q, KERF-40+) in a transdiagnostic adult sample.Self-reported emotional maltreatment by parents and peers, especially during early to mid-adolescence, is associated with self-reported adult emotion dysregulation.CTQ-SF and CECA.Q offer efficient childhood maltreatment assessments, while KERF-40+ adds clear value for a developmentally sensitive understanding of adult emotion dysregulation. Strong convergence across widely used retrospective childhood maltreatment measures (i.e. CTQ-SF, CECA.Q, KERF-40+) in a transdiagnostic adult sample. Self-reported emotional maltreatment by parents and peers, especially during early to mid-adolescence, is associated with self-reported adult emotion dysregulation. CTQ-SF and CECA.Q offer efficient childhood maltreatment assessments, while KERF-40+ adds clear value for a developmentally sensitive understanding of adult emotion dysregulation.