Dimensions of childhood maltreatment and adult risky behaviors: Differential affective and inhibitory control mechanisms

Background: While childhood maltreatment has been identified as a robust risk factor for a myriad of poor outcomes, significant gaps in our understanding still remain regarding mechanisms of this risk transmission across the lifespan. Objective: Informed by recent dimensional models, the objective of this study was to examine how unique dimensions of childhood maltreatment relate to adult risky behaviors via interactions between cognitive control and affective processes across Positive and Negative Valence Systems. Participants and setting: Our sample consisted of 110 community adults (M/SDage = 31.92/10.58 years old, 52.7 % male). Methods: Participants completed a neuropsychological test of inhibitory control and self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, recent adult risky behaviors, and indices of affective processing.Results: Moderated-mediation analyses revealed that childhood experiences of neglect and abuse exhibited distinct mechanisms of risk transmission related to adult risky behaviors. Specifically, disruptions in inhibitory control and reward-related processes were linked to adult risky behavior in the context of Childhood Deprivation (95%CI = -0.166/-0.002), whereas negative affective processes were associated with adult risky behavior in the context of Childhood Threat (95 % CI = 0.015/0.157). Conclusions: Findings provide empirical support for novel dimensional theories of childhood maltreatment and suggest that distinct regulatory processes are impacted by these early life experiences, which may confer risk into adulthood.