Localizing somatic symptoms associated with childhood maltreatment

Abstract

Childhood maltreatment has been linked to adult somatic symptoms, although this has rarely been examined in daily life. Furthermore, the localization of somatization associated with childhood maltreatment and its subtypes is unknown. This large-scale experience sampling study used body maps to examine the relationships between childhood maltreatment, its subtypes, and the intensity and location of negative somatic sensations in daily life. Participants (N = 2,234; 33% female and 67% male) were part of MyBPLab 2.0, a study conducted using a bespoke mobile phone application. Four categories of childhood maltreatment (emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical abuse, and physical neglect) were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Using gender-matched human silhouettes, participants indicated the location and intensity of feelings of negative activation in the body. Childhood maltreatment generally and its four measured subtypes were all positively associated with heightened negative activation on both the front and back body maps. For females, total childhood maltreatment was associated with negative activation in the abdomen and lower back, while for males, the association was localized to the lower back. Similarly, each of the four subscales had localized associations with negative activation in the abdomen and lower back in females and lower back in males, except for emotional abuse, which was also associated with negative activation in the abdomen in males. These associations likely reflect increased somatization in individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment, suggesting a role for psychotherapeutic interventions in alleviating associated distress.