Moderators and mediators between childhood maltreatment and social outcomes in psychotic disorders

Childhood adversities, such as emotional abuse, neglect, and bullying, are associated with more severe positive, negative, and affective symptom dimensions in psychosis.¹

Exposure to trauma is linked to reduced social functioning and impaired social cognition, which may partly contribute to poorer long-term functional outcomes.² Associations between maltreatment and symptoms are modulated by type of adversity, developmental timing and cumulative burden of traumatic events.² Childhood abuse or neglect may negatively affect neurocognitive and mentalizing abilities, which could contribute to psychotic symptoms, particularly in males.³

In the figure, the colour and thickness of the lines indicate the strength of the evidence: darker, thicker lines represent strong evidence (n ≥ 5), while lighter, thinner lines represent emerging evidence (n = 1).² Dotted lines and grey text indicate areas where evidence is lacking and further research is needed.²