Trapped in time: Time perspective explains PTSD symptom severity following childhood abuse

Abstract

Background: Childhood abuse (CA) has profound impact on mental health, with survivors often exhibiting heightened vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Time perspective–a psychological construct reflecting attitudes towards the past, present, and future–has emerged as a potential explanatory factor for PTSD symptoms; however, its role among CA survivors remains underexplored. Objective: This study investigated time perspective following CA and its contribution to explaining PTSD symptom clusters, beyond known risk factors such as age, polyvictimization, the role of the perpetrator in survivors' lives, and abuse severity. Participants and setting: The study included 977 Israeli women aged 18–70 years (M = 33.40, SD = 9.54), 80 % of whom reported a history of CA. Data were collected via an online survey. Methods: Participants completed measures assessing CA, time perspective, and PTSD symptoms. Non-parametric tests, correlation analyses, and regression models were utilized to explore the study's hypotheses. Results: CA survivors exhibited lower past-positive and future perspectives, higher past-negative and present-fatalistic perspectives, and greater deviations from balanced time perspective (all ps < .001, εH2 range = 0.02–0.29). Additionally, CA survivors exhibited a higher present-hedonistic perspective (p < .05, εH2 = 0.01). Time perspectives explained PTSD symptoms beyond the effects of age, polyvictimization, the role of the perpetrator in survivors' lives, and abuse severity, with varying effects across symptom clusters. Conclusions: The findings underscore the impact of CA on time perspective and its contribution to PTSD symptomatology. Addressing maladaptive time perspectives through tailored interventions may enhance treatment outcomes for CA survivors.