Running head: CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT AND ADULT ANXIETY 1

The Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Anxiety

Tara Harvey

University of Charleston
Running head: CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT AND ADULT ANXIETY 1

Abstract

My study was on how childhood maltreatment can cause anxiety disorders in adults. I examined
different studies to determine if childhood maltreatment can be a cause of adulthood anxiety.
Biological factors that contribute to the development of adulthood anxiety were also examined. It
is expected that adults who were victims of childhood maltreatment will be at a higher risk of
developing adulthood anxiety and/ or other psychological illnesses.
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Adulthood anxiety affects 18.1 % of adults between the ages of 18 to 54 in the United

States. Anxiety can develop for varied reasons. It is believed by some researchers that anxiety

disorders are a biological condition, while others think it is based on environmental factors.

Peoples genes can predispose them to be more susceptible to anxiety disorders, but their

environment shapes these genes. One study reveals that anxiety related disorders are 7 times

more likely to be acquired when someone has anxious parent (Ginsburg & Drake, 2012).

According to another study on the causes of anxiety, a person is 6.8 times more likely to suffer

from an anxiety disorder when they have a first- degree relative with an anxiety disorder (Rapee,

2011). This indicates that heritability does play a role in anxiety in many cases. In other cases

anxiety can be caused by environmental factors. Adults who reported childhood maltreatment

had 2.56% higher odds of anxiety disorders (Thomson, Brennenstuhl, & Baker, 2012). Many

adults affected by anxiety have a history of childhood maltreatment. Some researchers agree that

adults who have suffered from childhood maltreatment are at higher risk of developing type I

axis disorders, which include anxiety disorders and other mood disorders per the Diagnostic and

Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-5). Anxiety disorders are also more common in

those who were victims of childhood maltreatment and were not biologically predisposed to

anxiety. In one study 7.3% of respondents said they had been abused as children or adolescents;

4.4 % of those respondents reported that they had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder by a

medical professional (Thomson, Sohn, Brennenstuhl, & Baker, 2012). Although the risks of

adulthood anxiety disorders may be increased by genetics, many researchers argue that a

persons environment plays a crucial role in whether an adult develops an anxiety disorder.

Childhood maltreatment may be an environmental cause of adulthood anxiety disorders.

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It is suggested by some researchers that childhood maltreatment is a possible cause of

adulthood anxiety. In one study by Gibb, B., Butler, A., & Beck, J. (2003), they suggest that a

form of childhood maltreatment, emotional abuse, is strongly correlated with adult depression,

but not anxiety. However, they found that childhood physical abuse is strongly linked to anxiety

and depression in adulthood. In this study, it seems that emotional abuse does not play a role in

adulthood anxiety, but physical abuse does.

In another study by (Taillieu, T., Brownridge, D., Sareen, J., & Afifi, T., 2016), it is

suggested that different forms of childhood maltreatment that include emotional abuse, physical

abuse and both physical and emotional abuse increased the odds of type I axis disorders which

include anxiety disorders. Childhood maltreatment can also increase the risk of anger and

behavioral issues. Different forms of childhood maltreatment have equivalent psychiatric and

behavioral effects, ranging from anxiety and depression to rule-breaking and aggression

(Vachon, D., Krueger, R., Rogosch, F., & Cicchetti, D., 2015). All categories of childhood

maltreatment increased the chances of an individual developing adulthood anxiety disorders.

Family factors such as a family history of dysfunction and history of family Axis I disorders can

increase the odds of anxiety development in adulthood.

In yet another study by (Arul, A., 2016), it is suggested that many factors contribute to

anxiety disorders. The factors include to heritability, environmental stressors, and biological

heritability. It was also found that people who experience undesirable life events are more

susceptible to anxiety disorders.

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Genetics and environment both play a role in the development of anxiety disorders, however,

child temperament along with child rearing factors can contribute to the development of anxiety

related disorders in adulthood. Children with an emotional temperament are more susceptible to

anxiety related disorders because they may have a more sensitive reaction to environmental

factors. Emotional temperament and parenting styles that include a lot of rejection and criticism

in childhood increase chances of anxiety disorders in adulthood (Lindhout, I., Markus, M.,

Hoogendijk, T., & Boer F., 2009). The risk of anxiety disorders can also be increased in

adulthood depending on how stress is perceived in childhood.

Childhood stress can be perceived differently depending on the child effected by the stress. If a

child perceives a stressful situation as worse than is really is, they could possibly have trait

anxiety which can increase their risk of anxiety related disorders in adulthood. In a logistic

regression model, high childhood perceived stress and trait anxiety were associated with

significantly greater odds of adult anxiety disorder (Mundy, E.A., Weber, M., Rauch, S.L.,

Killgore, W.D., Simon, N.M., Pollack, M.H., Rosso, I.M., 2015). If a child is in a stressful

environment or in an environment where they do not get treated well and have trait anxiety, their

chances of anxiety during adulthood can increase.

Other developmental factors of anxiety development include family risk factors. Children who

are shy and who suffer from family dysfunction and overprotective parents and a mother with

depression are at higher risk for adult anxiety (Laurin, J., Joussemet, M., Tremblay, R. Boivin,

M., 2015). Other family risk factors include Lower family cohesion, conflict between parents,

expressiveness and support as well as stressful negative family events can increase the risk for

child anxiety.
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Certain personality traits without environmental factors can also increase chances of anxiety in

adulthood.

Personality traits such as Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy are genetic causes that

may make an individual more susceptible to anxiety related disorders. These traits can increase

the chances of sleep disturbances, anxiety sensitivity, and intolerance of uncertainty (Sabouri,

S., Gerber, M., Lemola, S., Becker, S., Shamsi, M., Shakouri, Z., Bahmani, D., Kalak, M.,

Trachsler, E., Brand, S., 2016). These personality factors can increase the chances of anxiety

disorders and other psychological disturbances despite the lack of childhood maltreatment and

environmental factors.

Environmental factors other than childhood maltreatment and parental influences can also

increase the chances of anxiety related disorders in adulthood. Environmental factors such as

culture or location of birth can increase anxiety risks. These environmental factors are subject to

under developing countries where diseases and pressured sex can increase the chances of

developing an anxiety problem (Remes, O., Brayne, C., Linde, R., Lafortune, L., 2016). These

specific findings were more prevalent in women, people with chronic diseases, and young adults.
Running head: CHILDHOOD MALTREATMENT AND ADULT ANXIETY 1

Method

Participants

The participants' in the examined studies included many boy and girl children ranging from 6 to

17 years old and many adult women and men ranging from 18 to 64 years old. Most participants

were from the United States and Canada. The participants were selected based on anxiety related

issues and their experience with childhood maltreatment.

Materials, Instruments, or Assesments

The study was examined using 15 APA articles that were related to childhood maltreatment and

adulthood anxiety. The participants in the studies were assessed by using self-reported surveys

about their experiences with childhood maltreatment and adulthood anxiety. The participants in

all the studies suffered from childhood anxiety and had an anxiety related disorder. Articles that

included surveys were chosen to examine the study because it contained a various amount of

information that supported the study.

Procedure

Most participants in the examined studies were given questionnaires on if they were

mistreated as children and if they have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder by a medical

professional as adults. Most of the participants had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but

others were just being medicated for anxiety related feelings and behaviors.
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Predicted results

I expect to find that childhood maltreatment increases the chances of anxiety during adulthood.

After analyzing all of the information from different articles I concluded that adults who have

suffered from childhood maltreatment are more susceptible to having anxiety disorders as adults.

However, I also found that some people who did not suffer from childhood maltreatment could

fall victim to anxiety disorders. This shows that environmental factors and biological factors both

play a role in the acquisition of anxiety disorders. Not only do they both play a role, but the

biological aspects of anxiety and the environmental aspect of anxiety do not have to co- occur.

So a person can have an anxiety disorder because of environmental factors and not be

predisposed genetically and vice versa.

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References

Drake, K. L., & Ginsburg, G. S. (2012). Family factors in the development, treatment, and

prevention of childhood anxiety disorders. Clinical Child and Family Psychology

Review, 15(2), 144-162. doi:10.1007/s10567-011-0109-0.

Gibb, B., Butler, A., & Beck, J. (2003). Childhood abuse, depression, and anxiety in adult

psychiatric outpatients. Depression and Anxiety, 17, 226-228. doi: 10.1002/da. 10111.

Lindhout, I., Markus, M., Hoogendijk, T., & Boer F. (2009). Temperament and parental child-

rearing style: unique contributions to clinical anxiety disorders in childhood. European

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 18, 439-446. doi 10.1007/s00787-009-0753-9.

Laurin, J., Joussemet, M., Tremblay, R. Boivin, M., (2015). Early forms of controlling parenting

and the development of childhood anxiety. Journal of Child and Family Studies,

24,32793292. doi:10.1007/s10826-015-0131-9.

Mundy, E.A., Weber, M., Rauch, S.L., Killgore, W.D., Simon, N.M., Pollack, M.H., Rosso, I.M.

(2015). Adult Anxiety disorders in relation to trait anxiety and perceived stress in

childhood. Psychological reports. 117(2), 473-489.

Rapee, R. M. (2011). Family factors in the development and management of anxiety disorders.

Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review,15(1), 69-80. doi:10.1007/s10567-011-0106-3.

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Remes, O., Brayne, C., Linde, R., Lafortune, L. (2016). A systematic review of reviews on the

prevalence of anxiety disorders in adult populations. Brain and Behavior 6 (7) doi:

Sabouri, S., Gerber, M., Lemola, S., Becker, S., Shamsi, M., Shakouri, Z., Bahmani, D., Kalak,

M., Trachsler, E., Brand, S. (2016). Examining dark triad traits in relation to sleep

disturbances, anxiety sensitivity, and intolerance of uncertainty in young adults.

Comprehensive Psychiatry 68, 103-110

Taillieu, T., Brownridge, D., Sareen, J., & Afifi, T. (2016). Childhood emotional maltreatment a

and mental disorders: Results from a nationally representative adult sample from the

United States. Child Abuse and Neglect, 59, 1-12. doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.07.005.

Thomson, E., Sohn, H, Brennenstuhl, & Baker, T. (2012). Is childhood physical abuse associated

with anxiety disorders among adults? Psychology, Health, and Medicine, 17, 735746.

doi:10.1080/13548506.2012.686618.

Vachon, D., Krueger, R., Rogosch, F., & Cicchetti, D. (2015). Assessment of the Harmful

Psychiatric and Behavioral Effects of Different Forms of Child Maltreatment. American

Medical Association, 11, 1135-1142. doi: 10.100.

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Appendix A
Descriptors for finding research include anxiety, depression, mutation and genetic
markers.
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Appendix B
Tools for assessments Beck depression inventory, The State -Trait Anxiety Inventory, and The
Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory II.
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Appendix C

The topic I chose for my research proposal was the psychological factors influencing anxiety.

I chose this topic because I find it interesting and I myself suffer from severe anxiety. Anxiety is

an interesting subject and it can take control over peoples lives. I wanted to know why anxiety

disorders occurs, what psychological and biological factors contribute to the development of

anxiety, and what can be done to prevent the development of anxiety. I basically know what

anxiety is and some ways that it develops, but I googled psychological causes of anxiety to view

the information that would be displayed. A lot of information about how anxiety disorders

develop came up and I began reading all the theories and ideas as to how it occurs. I read a lot of

information that blamed biological factors, environmental factors, and the co- occurrence of

biological and environmental factors. I knew I needed to have a focus on adults or children, but

at the time I was not sure if I wanted to focus on adult anxiety disorders or childhood anxiety

disorders. I eventually initially decided on adult anxiety disorders. After a while of thinking, I

changed the adult focus to childhood anxiety disorders because I love kids and intend to help

them with mood disorders someday; my instructor also suggested I change my focus to children

because of my future desire to work with them I then changed my mind again and decided to

focus on how childhood maltreatment can be a psychological cause of adulthood anxiety. I

decided to change my focus here at this specific idea because it seemed that most of the

information I was looking at was based on the causes of the development of anxiety in childhood

and how anxiety disorders remain into adulthood. To find the information I needed to begin my

research proposal I used UC Quest which is a library service provided by the University of

Charleston. It provided me with an array of articles, journals, and books to help me find APA

scholarly resources to find the information I needed. I mostly searched for articles pertaining to
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anxiety and different forms of childhood abuse. Researching the psychological factors that are

probable causes of anxiety can help provide a better understanding of anxiety disorders in the

field of psychology. Not only can researching anxiety provide a better understanding of the

disorder, but it can also create ways to ease the symptoms of anxiety disorder.

Like in most research proposals, there were issues of validity and reliability in my research

proposal. To deal with the issues, I compared all my research with all the information I found. A

lot of information was very similar and came to the same conclusion, but there was some

information that was slightly contradictory to my information. I also looked at how the research

on my topic was gathered. Most of it was gathered by surveys, which can be both reliable and

unreliable depending on many factors. Another way that I dealt with reliability and validity in my

research proposal was by making sure that all there were statistics available and by comparing

those statistics with other pieces of information across all the research that I found. I feel like the

similarity in conclusions and my gathered information helped support my research on the

probable causes of anxiety. I also looked at possible cultural differences and considered this as a

possible issue in validity and reliability on information.

The literature I reviewed helped inform the development of the design of my study by providing

me with organization. The information I found in the literature helped me design how I would

organize my study. It helped me figure out the information from different articles that needed to

be combined to create an organized and understandable study. If I put any information in random

place in my study it would have been confusing and unorganized and that causes unreliability in

my design and study.

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During this course, my view on psychological research has changed minimally. Since beginning

my psychology courses at the University of Charleston, I have grasped in that psychological

research is very important. Without psychological research, there would be no advancement in

psychology as well as other fields that conduct research. Psychological research helps provide

theories and answers; it provides a better understanding of the mind, how the brain works, and

the world around us. Psychological research is critical for any kind of advancement and

understanding in the field of psychology. Although my view on psychological research has

changed minimally I have found, during this course, that some psychological research can be

unreliable and can differ from other psychological research that focuses on the same topics.

Some of the obstacles I faced while writing my research study was trying to find information that

was relevant to my topic. I feel like I had difficulty finding information that was strictly for adult

anxiety or strictly for childhood anxiety. Sometimes I became overwhelmed with information

because there was so much to read and understand. I had to decide whether I wanted to use it in

my research study, or if it was even useful to my topic. On the bright side, I no longer fear doing

research studies because this course has helped me learn the steps of creating a study and now it

does not seem as difficult as it used to. I also perfected my use of the UC Quest search tool,

which will help me in the future when I must review APA reviewed literature. I realized there is

nothing to fear while doing a research study because it is not as complex as it seems. I do not

think I have really excelled in anything in my research study, but I know I am doing better at

utilizing the available resources, at writing an APA formatted reference list, and my writing

organization. I found that writing a research study is not as difficult as I thought. The steps

provided in this course have helped me become better at creating a research study and finding

valuable information.
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