Identifying Types of Childhood Maltreatment and Their Relationship to Psychosocial Adjustment in Early Adulthood Using a Latent Profile Analysis

Objectives: Childhood maltreatment, including emotional, sexual, and physical abuse, as well as neglect, is often chronic and co-occurring, rather than isolated. These adverse experiences can disrupt developmental processes and undermine psychological and social functioning during adulthood. However, most studies have examined single maltreatment types or cumulative scores, overlooking the heterogeneity of maltreatment experiences. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of childhood maltreatment based on the type and severity of abuse and neglect and to examine their associations with psychosocial outcomes, including internalizing problems, life satisfaction, and prosocial behavior.Methods: The participants were 435 college students (Mage = 23.78) who completed self-report measures on their retrospective experiences of childhood maltreatment and current psychosocial functioning. Latent profile analysis identified distinct maltreatment profiles, and the BCH method was used to test mean differences in adjustment outcomes across profiles.Results: Four latent profiles were identified: Low maltreatment; Emotional neglect; Physical–Emotional maltreatment; and Multi-type maltreatment including sexual abuse. These profiles exhibited distinct psychosocial patterns. Individuals who had experienced Multi-type maltreatment demonstrated the highest levels of internalizing symptoms, whereas their life satisfaction remained high, comparable to the Low maltreatment group. However, the Emotional Neglect group reported the lowest levels of prosociality.Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of addressing the qualitative differences in childhood maltreatment. Emotional neglect was linked to low prosociality, while Multi-type maltreatment showed high life satisfaction despite severe adversity. These findings suggest the need for nuanced intervention strategies that reflect both the vulnerabilities and adaptive strengths observed across different maltreatment profiles.