THE IMPACT OF THE CHILDHOOD's TRAUMA ON ANXIETY DISORDERS IN ADULTHOOD: NAVIGATING ON THE SOCIO-CULTURAL INFLUENCES AND RECURRENCE
THE IMPACT OF THE CHILDHOOD's TRAUMA ON ANXIETY DISORDERS IN ADULTHOOD: NAVIGATING ON THE SOCIO-CULTURAL INFLUENCES AND RECURRENCE

Summary/Abstract: Objectives. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the different types of childhood trauma and the development of anxiety symptoms in adulthood, focusing on the contributions of specific trauma types to long-term mental health outcomes. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 320 participants (M = 22.5 years, SD = 4.2) from the general population. Participants completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to measure the anxiety symptoms and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to assess the childhood trauma experiences. Results. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data. The childhood trauma accounted for 37.3% of the variance in adult anxiety symptoms (R² = .373). Emotional abuse emerged as the strongest predictor of anxiety symptoms (ß = .517, p < .01), followed by the sexual abuse (ß = .210, p < .01), the physical abuse (ß = .201, p = .010), and the emotional neglect (ß = .160, p = .039). The physical neglect did not significantly predict the anxiety symptoms. Conclusions. The findings indicated that the emotional abuse and neglect have had the most profound impact on anxiety symptoms in adulthood, highlighting the lasting effects of early traumatic experiences. These results emphasized the need for early intervention and trauma-informed care in order to reduce the long-term psychological consequences of childhood trauma.

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