Relationship Between Childhood Emotional Neglect, Brain–Body Stress Response, and Adult Emotional Regulation Difficulties
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Childhood emotional neglect has been related to persistent challenges in emotional functioning and changes in physiological stress regulation, however the overlap of these psychological and physiological correlates has been less explored in adults. Objective: To analyze the associations between childhood emotional neglect, emotion regulation challenges, resting heart rate variability (HRV-RMSSD), and baseline salivary cortisol in adults residing in Lahore. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational study included 88 adults aged between 18-45 years recruited from healthcare settings and academic institutions of Lahore between December 2024 to August 2025. Childhood emotional neglect and emotion regulation were measured by administering childhood trauma questionnaire SF (CTQ-SF)emotional-neglect subscaleand difficulties in emotion regulation scale-16 (DERS-16) respectively. Resting heart rate variability, specifically HRV-RMSSD (an index of parasympathetic nervous activity), and resting baseline salivary cortisol levels were measured as physiological indices. Pearson's correlations were run to identify bivariate relations of childhood emotional neglect, DERS-16, HRV-RMSSD and cortisol. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze predictors and mediators/confounders. Results: Childhood emotional-neglect had a strong positive correlation with DERS-16 scores (r = 0.58, p<0.001) and resting baseline cortisol levels (r=0.36, p<0.001), and an inverse correlation with resting heart rate variability-RMSSD (r = -0.49, p<0.001). Emotional neglect score (=0.39;p<0.001) and resting heart rate variability-RMSSD score(=0.32;p<0.001) predicted DERS-16, independent of age and gender. Salivary cortisol, however did not predict emotion regulation difficulties (=0.14, p=0.119). The variables included accounted for 53.2% of variance (R=0.532) in predicting DERS-16 scores. Conclusion: Childhood emotional neglect appears to relate to increased emotional regulation difficulties and lower resting heart rate variability in adulthood. Our cross-sectional finding demonstrates the linkage between early life adversity and physiological as well as psychological functioning in adulthood but without inferring causality
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
1. Murphy F, Nasa A, Cullinane D, Raajakesary K, Gazzaz A, Sooknarine V, Haines M, Roman E, Kelly L, O'Neill A, Cannon M. Childhood trauma, the HPA axis and psychiatric illnesses: a targeted literature synthesis. Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:748372.
2. White LO, Schulz CC, Schoett MJ, Kungl MT, Keil J, Borelli JL, Vrtička P. Conceptual analysis: a social neuroscience approach to interpersonal interaction in the context of disruption and disorganization of attachment (NAMDA). Front Psychiatry. 2020;11:517372.
3. Weber S, Bühler J, Vanini G, Loukas S, Bruckmaier R, Aybek S. Identification of biopsychological trait markers in functional neurological disorders. Brain. 2023;146(6):2627-2641.
4. Simon L, Admon R. From childhood adversity to latent stress vulnerability in adulthood: the mediating roles of sleep disturbances and HPA axis dysfunction. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2023;48(10):1425-1435.
5. Tonon AC, Ramos-Lima LF, Kuhathasan N, Frey BN. Early life trauma, emotion dysregulation and hormonal sensitivity across female reproductive life events. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2024;26(10):530-542.
6. Pervanidou P, Makris G, Chrousos G, Agorastos A. Early life stress and pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder. Brain Sci. 2020;10(3):169.
7. Paulus FW, Ohmann S, Möhler E, Plener P, Popow C. Emotional dysregulation in children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders: a narrative review. Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:628252.
8. Assogna F, Piras F, Spalletta G. Neurobiological basis of childhood trauma and the risk for neurological deficits later in life. In: Childhood Trauma in Mental Disorders: A Comprehensive Approach. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2020. p. 385-410.
9. McLaughlin KA, Colich NL, Rodman AM, Weissman DG. Mechanisms linking childhood trauma exposure and psychopathology: a transdiagnostic model of risk and resilience. BMC Med. 2020;18(1):96.
10. Young-Southward G, Svelnys C, Gajwani R, Bosquet Enlow M, Minnis H. Child maltreatment, autonomic nervous system responsivity, and psychopathology: current state of the literature and future directions. Child Maltreat. 2020;25(1):3-19.
11. Jenness JL, Peverill M, Miller AB, Heleniak C, Robertson MM, Sambrook KA, Sheridan MA, McLaughlin KA. Alterations in neural circuits underlying emotion regulation following child maltreatment: a mechanism underlying trauma-related psychopathology. Psychol Med. 2021;51(11):1880-1889.
12. Duprey EB, Oshri A, Liu S, Kogan SM, Caughy MO. Physiological stress response reactivity mediates the link between emotional abuse and youth internalizing problems. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2021;52(3):450-463.
13. Wooten W, Laubaucher C, George GC, Heyn S, Herringa RJ. The impact of childhood maltreatment on adaptive emotion regulation strategies. Child Abuse Negl. 2022;125:105494.
14. Stevens SK, Williams DP, Thayer JF, Zalta AK. Differential associations of childhood abuse and neglect with adult autonomic regulation and mood-related pathology. Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine. 2023;85(8):682-690.
15. Koppold A, Kastrinogiannis A, Kuhn M, Lonsdorf TB. Watching with Argus eyes: characterization of emotional and physiological responding in adults exposed to childhood maltreatment and/or recent adversity. Psychophysiology. 2023;60(7):e14253.
16. Moreira D, Silva C, Moreira P, Pinto TM, Costa R, Lamela D, Jongenelen I, Pasion R. Addressing the complex links between psychopathy and childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression—a network analysis in adults. Behav Sci (Basel). 2024;14(2):115.