Types and Timing of Childhood Trauma and Their Relationship to Symptoms of Depression, Suicidal Ideation, and Anxiety Among Canadian University Students

Abstract

Maltreatment at an early age is a well-established risk factor for the development of mental health issues in adulthood. An understanding of how the type and timing of such experiences confers vulnerability to psychopathologies among young adults, who have high rates of mental illness, is needed. The current study examined whether specific types of trauma exposures and their occurrence during sensitive developmental periods prior to the age of 18 (based on the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure), map onto symptoms of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among Canadian university students (N = 238). Undergraduate students attending universities across Canada were recruited via snowball sampling to participate in an online study. Random forest regression with conditional inference trees revealed distinct associations with mood symptoms and suicidal thoughts when considering trauma type and timing of highest predictive importance. Specifically, non-verbal emotional abuse between ages 12 and 13 most strongly predicted depressive symptoms; sensitivity to emotional neglect from ages 12 to 15 was associated with suicidal ideation; and parental verbal abuse at age 15 was most predictive of anxiety symptoms. Moreover, resilience attenuated the relationship between non-verbal emotional abuse at age 12 and depressive symptoms, an effect not found for anxiety or suicidal ideation. These findings suggest that sensitive developmental periods and specific trauma types differentially associate with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Identifying those at highest risk emphasizes the need for timely and accessible interventions, particularly for those with experiences of childhood maltreatment. Consideration should also be given to systemic barriers to mental health care, such as long waitlists for campus mental health services. Accessible trauma-informed interventions accounting for trauma type and timing could improve mental well-being among university students with histories of childhood maltreatment.