Childhood abuse and depressive symptoms in adolescents: Affective inhibitory control as a mediator and sensory processing sensitivity as a moderator

Background: It is well documented that childhood abuse increases the likelihood of emotional disorders particularly depressive symptoms. Childhood abuse might disrupt individuals' inhibitory control of emotional stimuli to increase the risk of depressive symptoms, and may differ in individuals' sensory processing sensitivity to the environment. Objective: The current study aimed to examine the associations between childhood abuse and depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents and test the mediating role of affective inhibitory control and the moderating role of sensory processing sensitivity in the relationship. Methods: The childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ), the highly sensitivity child scale (HSCS) and the center for epidemiological studies depression scale (CES-D) were administered to 234 junior school students who underwent the face-word Stroop task during which intraindividual reaction time variability (IIV) was calculated to assess affective inhibitory control. Results: Childhood abuse was positively related to depressive symptoms. In addition, IIV under negative conditions partially mediated the relationship between childhood abuse and depressive symptoms. Sensory processing sensitivity moderated the mediation model, such that poor affective inhibitory control indexed by greater IIV under negative conditions was related to greater depressive symptoms in adolescents with high sensory processing sensitivity, but not in those with low sensory processing sensitivity. Conclusion: These findings suggest that disrupted affective inhibitory control of negative emotional stimuli serves as a potential mechanism linking childhood abuse with depressive symptoms, and is subjected to adolescent sensory processing sensitivity.