Differential Associations of Childhood Abuse and Neglect With Adult Autonomic Regulation and Mood-Related Pathology

This study assessed whether different types of childhood maltreatment (i.e., abuse versus neglect) had differential relationships with heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity. In addition, this study tested the indirect effect of maltreatment subtypes on adult mood-related psychopathology via HRV, and whether these relationships differed in those with HRV above and below established clinical cutoffs.

Secondary analysis was performed using the Midlife Development in the United States data set ( N = 967; Mage = 55; 58.4% female; 75.9% White). In a single study visit, autonomic measurements were captured at rest, during two cognitive stressors (Stroop and MATH tasks), and during recovery after the tasks. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the relationships between key variables during all three measurement periods.

Resting pathways from abuse and neglect to baroreflex sensitivity were nonsignificant, as was the pathway from HRV to mood-related pathology. Notably, greater abuse was significantly predictive of lower HRV (standardized β = -0.42, p = .009), whereas greater neglect was significantly predictive of higher HRV (standardized β = 0.32, p = .034). In addition, higher abuse was significantly predictive of greater adult symptoms (standardized β = 0.39, p < .001), but neglect was not found to be related to adult mood-related pathology. Significant relationships between variables were only found in those with low HRV.

Although cross-sectional, our findings provide further evidence that low HRV may be a transdiagnostic endophenotype for mood-related pathology and suggest that greater differentiation between abuse and neglect is appropriate when investigating the impact of childhood maltreatment on adult health outcomes.