Don’t get too close to me: depressed and non-depressed survivors of child maltreatment prefer larger comfortable interpersonal distances towards strangers

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic and psychometric characteristics.

	Controls  (n = 57)	CM −  (n = 60)	CM +  (n = 24)	X^2/H	p
Age (in years)	24.8 ± .8	26.8 ± 1.3	30.9 ± 2.3	6.84	.033
Females (n)	42 (73.7%)	45 (75%)	20 (83.3%)	0.90	.636
Education (n)				7.26	.124
Compulsory school incl. apprenticeship	6 (10.5%)	14 (23.3%)	7 (29.2%)
Baccalaureate/maturity/federal diploma	32 (56.1%)	26 (43.3%)	7 (29.2%)
University degree (any)	19 (33.3%)	20 (33.3%)	10 (41.7%)
Total CTQ score	27.40 ± .30	51.23 ± 2.31	72.79 ± 3.12	108.06	<.001
Emotional neglect	6.75 ± .18	14.93 ± 0.57	19.92 ± 0.64	103.5	<.001
Physical neglect	5.23 ± .07	8.47 ± 0.43	11.08 ± 0.65	79.33	<.001
Emotional abuse	5.47 ± .11	11.52 ± 0.73	18.63 ± 1.02	85.41	<.001
Physical abuse	5.05 ± .03	8.23 ± 0.61	11.33 ± 1.41	42.04	<.001
Sexual abuse	5.00 ± .00	8.08 ± 0.79	11.83 ± 1.67	32.91	<.001
BDI score	3.37 ± .33	4.88 ± .41	24.83 ± 1.69	64.75	<.001
Traumatic experiences other than CM (n)				13.97	.007
None	23 (40.4%)	23 (38.3%)	4 (16.7%)
One	22 (38.6%)	15 (25%)	5 (20.8%)
More than one	12 (21.1%)	22 (36.7%)	15 (62.5%)
Clinical diagnoses (n)
Affective disorders	11 (19.3%)	36 (60%)	21 (87.5%)	37.26	<.001
Anxiety disorders	9 (15.8%)	20 (33.3%)	16 (66.7%)	20.22	<.001
Posttraumatic stress disorder	2 (3.5%)	6 (10%)	12 (50%)	31.49	<.001
Substance/alcohol abuse	1 (1.8%)	1 (1.7%)	2 (8.3%)	3.17	.205
Obsessive-compulsive disorder	4 (7%)	6 (10%)	2 (8.3%)	.335	.846
Eating disorders	8 (14%)	8 (13.3%)	8 (33.3%)	5.46	.065

Note. Values for metric variables are given as mean ± standard error, values for non-metric variables as numbers and percentages. For metric variables, independent samples Kruskal-Wallis test and for non-metric variables, Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to compare study groups. Mental disorders and other traumatic experiences are presented as number of participants with a lifetime history of such. CTQ means of the CM− group represent low to moderate levels in all subtypes except for emotional neglect, where mean scores represent moderate to severe levels; means of the CM+ group represent moderate to severe levels in all subtypes except for emotional neglect and emotional abuse, where mean scores represent severe to extreme levels (Bernstein et al., 2003). BDI scores <13 represent the absence of depressive symptoms (Beck et al., 1996). CM− = without depressive symptoms; CM+ = with depressive symptoms.

Figure 1. Data distribution of all groups on distance 1 (D1). Note. Black bars within box plots display medians. Rhombi within box plots represent means. Error bars represent the 95% confidence intervals. The shapes of the violins display the frequencies of the values. * p < .05. ** p < .01. Results for D2 were identical except for the EA− group (who did not differ significantly from controls on D2). CM = child maltreatment; EA = emotional abuse; EN = emotional neglect; PA = physical abuse; PN = physical neglect; SA = sexual abuse; − = without depressive symptoms; + = with depressive symptoms.

Table 2. Group comparisons on D1 and D2.

	D1				D2
	U	Z	p	d [95% CI]	U	Z	P	d [95% CI]
CM− vs. controls	1358.50	1.92	.028*	.37  [−.004, .73]	1373.00	1.91	.028*	.37 [−.004, .73]
CM+ vs. CM−	520.00	1.98	.047*	.45 [−.04, .94]	514.50	2.07	.039*	.47 [−.02, .96]
CM+ vs. controls	396.50	2.97	.005**	.69 [.18, 1.21]	393.00	3.14	.002**	.75 [.22, 1.26]
EN− vs. controls	1278.00	1.83	.096	.35 [−.03, .72]	1310.00	1.71	.087	.32 [−.05, .69]
EN+ vs. EN-	484.00	1.97	.096	.45 [−.04, .93]	473.00	2.13	.066	.49 [.00, .97]
EN+ vs. controls	396.50	2.94	.009**	.69 [.17, 1.2]	393.00	3.14	.003**	.75 [.22, 1.27]
PN− vs. controls	587.50	2.18	.058	.49 [.02, .95]	641.50	1.78	.122	.39 [−.07, .85]
PN+ vs. PN-	214.50	1.54	.127	.45 [−.14, 1.03]	199.00	1.87	.122	.56 [−.03, 1.14]
PN+ vs controls	304.50	3.09	.006**	.75 [.17, 1.29]	294.50	3.33	.003**	.82 [.24, 1.38]
EA− vs. controls	686.00	2.32	.040*	.41 [−.03, .84]	740.00	1.96	.100	.32 [−.11, .75]
EA+ vs. EA-	316.50	1.21	.229	.32 [−.22, .85]	307.00	1.38	.170	.37 [−.17, .91]
EA+ vs. controls	392.50	2.80	.015*	.43 [−.07, .93]	393.00	2.92	.009**	.47 [−.04, .97]
SA− vs. controls	408.50	1.30	.210	.35 [−.20, .89]	369.00	1.88	.122	.52 [−.04, 1.07]
SA+ vs. SA-	76.00	1.64	.210	.61 [−.14, 1.34]	75.00	1.70	.122	.65 [−.10, 1.39]
SA+ vs. controls	210.50	2.42	.045*	.61 [−.05, 1.25]	192.50	2.84	.012*	.72 [.04, 1.37]
PA− vs. controls	515.00	1.75	.162	.39 [−.10, .88]	517.50	1.80	.144	.41 [−.09, .09]
PA+ vs. PA-	119.50	1.47	.162	.49 [−.19, 1.16]	129.00	1.20	.190	.39 [−.28, 1.05]
PA+ vs. controls	233.00	2.40	.045*	.58 [−.54, 1.20]	232.00	2.55	.030*	.63 [−.01, 1.25]

Note. All reported p-values are Bonferroni-Holm corrected. CM = child maltreatment; EA = emotional abuse; EN = emotional neglect; PA = physical abuse; PN = physical neglect; SA = sexual abuse; − = without depressive symptoms; + =  with depressive symptoms. N per group: controls = 57; CM− = 60; CM+ = 24; EN− = 56; EN+ = 24; PN− = 29; PN+ = 20; EA− = 34; EA+ = 23; SA− = 18; SA+ = 13; PA− = 24; PA+ = 14. * p < .05, ** p < .001.

Bernstein, D. P., Stein, J. A., Newcomb, M. D., Walker, E., Pogge, D., & Ahluvalia, T. (2003). Development and validation of a brief screening version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27, 169–190. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(02)00541-0

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Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, [MCP]. The data are not publicly available due to information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.