The Role of Gender on the Relationship between Childhood Trauma and Social Anxiety Disorder

Abstract

An important risk factor for developing social anxiety disorder (SAD) in children of parents with psychological problems is childhood trauma, especially sexual and physical abuse. In addition, gender seems to moderate the relationship of childhood trauma with SAD, with a stronger relationship for girls than for boys. This research investigated the role of gender in the relationship between childhood trauma and SAD severity in children of parents with psychological problems. Although SAD shows high comorbidity, previous research often does not adjust for comorbid disorders. Data in the present study was derived from the baseline assessment of the Adolescents At Risk of Anxiety and Depression (ARIADNE) study in 516 adolescent and young-adult children. Regression and moderation analyses were used to test the relationship between childhood trauma and SAD severity, between sexual and / or physical abuse and SAD severity, and the possible role of gender herein. Analyses were controlled for comorbid disorders. A differentiation was made between unadjusted and adjusted regression analyses. Adjusted analyses controlled for seven other disorders, for sleeping problems, and for somatization symptoms. Unadjusted analyses showed no significant relationship between childhood trauma events and SAD severity, but a significant relationship between physical and / or sexual abuse and SAD severity. All adjusted analyses but one showed a non-significant result; the relationship between childhood trauma and SAD turned into a negative relationship. Gender had no moderating role in any of xthe relationships between trauma subtypes and SAD severity. Given the different results between the adjusted and unadjusted analyses, comorbidity seems to play an important role. In addition, age of the sample could be an explanation for not finding expected results, since SAD has an onset between 12-15 years, while the age of the current sample ranged from 13 to 25 years old.