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. 2025 Feb 11;13(1):115.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02431-7.

Associations between childhood maltreatment and personality traits in individuals with and without depression: a CTQ-based assessment

Yilin Peng  1   2 , Shazia Rehman  1   2 , Jin Liu  1   2 , Yumeng Ju  1   2 , Mi Wang  1   2 , Jinrong Sun  1   2 , Xiaowen Lu  1   2 , Qiangli Dong  1   2 , Liang Zhang  1   2 , Mei Liao  1   2 , Ping Wan  3 , Hua Guo  3 , Futao Zhao  3 , Bangshan Liu  4   5 , Yan Zhang  1   2 , Lingjiang Li  1   2
Affiliations

Associations between childhood maltreatment and personality traits in individuals with and without depression: a CTQ-based assessment

Yilin Peng et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: Prior research has established a correlation between childhood maltreatment (CM) and personality traits. The current understanding regarding the potential variability in the relationship between CM and its impact on personality dimensions among those with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls (HCs) remains elusive.

Aims: This study analyzes the association between CM and personality traits in the MDD and HC groups.

Methods: The study recruited 188 individuals with MDD and 132 HC. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to assess CM, and the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) was used to assess personality traits. We used a 2*2 analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) of the diagnosis and CM on 16PF, and hierarchical regression explored the association between specific types of CM and 16PF in both groups.

Results: The 2*2 ANCOVA results indicated significant interaction effects between CM and diagnosis on personality traits, with CM's impact notably different between groups. In the MDD group, sexual abuse (SA) independently predicted the subscale Q1 (Openness to Change), related to the Big Five's openness. In the HC group, emotional abuse (EA) predicted the subscales C (emotional stability), O (apprehension), and Q4(tension), linked to Big Five's neuroticism.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the impact of early adversity on personality development, informing psychology and guiding tailored therapy development.

Keywords: Childhood maltreatment; Emotional abuse; Major depressive disorder; Personality traits; Sexual abuse.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethical approval: All procedures and this study involving human subjects were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University [approval number: 2012 (238)] and the Zhumadian Psychiatric Hospital [approval number: 2013 (002)]. Consent for publication: Not Applicable. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all participants in the study. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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