Childhood Experiences of Abuse but Not Neglect Predict the Trajectory of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in the College Students: A Latent Growth Curve Analysis

Stress Health. 2025 Apr;41(2):e70042. doi: 10.1002/smi.70042.

ABSTRACT

According to the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP), childhood trauma (CT) can be categorised into two dimensions: abuse and neglect. While CT is widely recognized as a risk factor for obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), the specific dimension that primarily contributes to this risk remains unclear. This study sought to distinguish the effects of different CT dimensions on the developmental trajectory of OCS. A total of 3535 Chinese college freshmen (Age _Mean = 18.01, Age _SD = 0.77; 65.60% female) participated in a 3-year, 5-waves longitudinal tracking study. A latent growth curve model (LGCM) was constructed to examine the effects of two CT dimensions (abuse and neglect) on the developmental trajectory of OCS. Sex and recent perceived stress were also added to the conditional LGCM. Results showed that the rates of ‘moderate to severe’ emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect were 3.68%, 3.62%, 5.57%, 10.46%, and 19.54%, respectively. The unconditional LGCM revealed a U-shaped developmental trajectory of OCS. The conditional LGCM revealed that childhood experiences of abuse, rather than neglect, significantly predicted the intercept (β = 0.159, p < 0.001), the linear slope (β = -0.222, p < 0.01), and the quadratic slope (β = 0.195, p < 0.05) of the trajectory of OCS. Specifically, higher abuse levels were associated with higher initial OCS levels and a slower rate in linear downtrend of OCS over time, resulting in a U-shaped trend. Besides, sex did not predict the developmental trajectory of OCS. These findings highlight the association between childhood experiences of abuse, rather than neglect, with the development of OCS and may provide targeted direction and guidance for preventing OCS among Chinese college students.

PMID:40266285 | DOI:10.1002/smi.70042