Childhood Personality, Betrayal Trauma, and Leukocyte Telomere Length in Adulthood: A Lifespan Perspective on Conscientiousness and Betrayal Traumas as Predictors of a Biomarker of Cellular Ageing

Conscientiousness is associated with longevity. As such, identifying the biological pathways linking personality to mortality is important. This study employs longitudinal data spanning >40 years to test prospective associations with leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a potential marker of cellular ageing. Because telomeres shorten over time, and are sensitive to oxidative stress, shorter LTL may reflect cumulative damage associated with negative health behaviours and past stressful events. We investigated childhood conscientiousness as a protective factor, expecting an association with longer LTL in adulthood, possibly reflecting slower LTL shortening. Potential lifespan pathways involving childhood trauma, smoking behaviours, and body mass index (BMI) were explored. Childhood conscientiousness showed a small raw association with LTL (r = .08, p = .04), although this effect did not persist when controlling for age and sex. Despite this lack of a direct effect on LTL, we detected an indirect effect operating jointly through BMI and smoking. Higher rates of childhood betrayal trauma were associated with shorter LTL. Contrary to our hypothesis that conscientiousness would buffer this effect, we found evidence for an interaction with childhood betrayal traumas where the association between childhood betrayal traumas and LTL was larger for those higher on conscientiousness in childhood. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psycholog

Physical Health, Psychological Distress, and Betrayal Trauma

Numerous studies have revealed an association between trauma and adverse physical and mental health status. While the relation is well established, the mechanisms underlying this link are less well understood. In the current study we sought to distinguish impact on health arising from types of trauma as indicated by betrayal trauma theory (Freyd 1996, 2001), with an eye toward eventually uncovering mechanisms and developing interventions. Betrayal trauma theory distinguishes two dimensions as primary for events that cause long lasting harm to people: life-threat (e.g. major car accident; urban violence) and social betrayal (e.g. abuse by a close other). We recruited 99 community adults who reported at least 12 months of chronic medical or pain problems for a longitudinal intervention study. Participants were assessed for trauma history and physical and mental symptoms. Trauma assessment included measuring exposure to both traumas high in betrayal and traumas low in betrayal (but high in life-threat). Associations between overall trauma exposure and negative health and mental status were found. High betrayal was particularly potent. For instance, exposure to traumas with high betrayal is significantly correlated with number of physical illness symptoms (r=.37), anxiety symptoms (r = .49), and depression symptoms (r=.45). Multiple regression analyses predicting these symptoms from betrayal trauma exposure reveal that adding exposure to trauma with less betrayal into the model changes R-square statistics very little, and these changes are not significant. This pattern of results has been replicated with data recently collected in our laboratory using a different population. In addition, interesting gender effects are emerging. With the large amount of variance in symptoms predicted by exposure to high betrayal trauma, we are focusing on uncovering mechanisms and evaluating the health consequences of an intervention that involves writing about reactions to these events.This research was supported by the Northwest Health Foundation Grant Number 2001-255 Child Abuse and Health: An Intervention (Freyd, PI). The manuscript preparation was also supported in part by the Trauma and Oppression Research Fund at the University of Oregon Foundation

Adult trauma and adult symptoms: Does childhood trauma drive the relationship?

We used structural modeling to examine observed relationships between childhood trauma, adult trauma, and adult dissociation and mental health. We propose a model in which childhood betrayal trauma predicts adult betrayal trauma and dissociation, and dissociation predicts mental health. Paths between adult betrayal trauma and dissociation, and adult betrayal trauma and mental health were set at zero. This model was tested using questionnaire data from 307 undergraduates. The model fit the data very well (comparative fit index = .98, chi-square(df = 8) = 21.99), and performed as well as other less parsimonious models. Alternative equivalent models and implications of these findings are discussed. The pattern of parameter estimates generated for this model suggests that childhood trauma drives the relationship between trauma and symptoms.Supported in part by the Trauma and Oppression Research Fund at the University of Oregon Foundation