The potential protective effect of friendship on the association between childhood adversity and psychological distress in adulthood: A retrospective, preliminary, three-wave population-based study

• Published in: Journal of Affective Disorders
• Main Author: Sheikh, Mashhood Ahmed
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2017
• Subjects: VDP::Medisinske Fag: 700::Helsefag: 800; VDP::Medical disciplines: 700::Health sciences: 800; Psychological distress; Social support; Childhood adversity; Epidemiology; Psychopathology; Anxiety; Depression; Childhood socioeconomic status; Childhood abuse; Social isolation; Loneliness; Psychological well-being; Emotional distress; Mental helse: Helse- og velferdsøkonomi; Mental Health : Health and welfare economics; Tromsø
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10037/13130; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.09.015

Accepted manuscript version. Published version available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.09.015 . Background Previous studies that assessed the mediating role of social support in the association between childhood adversity and psychological distress based their inferences on very small, selective samples, which makes it impossible to generalise the findings to general population. The aim of this paper was to assess the mediating role of quantity and quality of social support in adulthood in the association between childhood adversity and psychological distress in adulthood. Methods The study has a three-wave design; the present analysis used longitudinal data collected from 1994 to 2008 within the framework of the Tromsø Study (N = 4530), a representative prospective cohort study of men and women. Quantity and quality of social support were measured at a mean age of 54.7 years, and psychological distress in adulthood was measured at a mean age of 61.7 years. Mediation analysis was used to assess the indirect effect of childhood adversity (via quantity and quality of social support) on psychological distress in adulthood. Results Childhood adversity was associated with deficits in quantity and quality of social support in adulthood (p < 0.05). Childhood adversity and deficits in quantity and quality of social support were associated with psychological distress in adulthood (p < 0.05). Quantity and quality of social support significantly (p < 0.05) mediated the association between childhood adversity and psychological distress in adulthood. Limitations Childhood adversity was assessed retrospectively and social support was measured with two items. Conclusion Interventions aimed at reducing social isolation may alleviate the burden carried by survivors of childhood adversity.