Disentangling the harmful effects of psychological maltreatment : contributions of the dimensional model of adversity and psychopathology

Aims: Psychological maltreatment is linked to psychiatric disorders in adolescents and may amplify the effects of other maltreatment types. It includes psychological abuse (PA) and psychological neglect (PN), often studied together due to difficulties in distinguishing them. This study applies the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP), which conceptualizes abuse as a threat primarily impairing social-emotional processing, such as emotion regulation, while neglect is viewed as deprivation that predominantly affects cognitive functioning, such as working memory. It tests whether PA and PN have differential effects paving divergent trajectories to psychopathology, hypothesizing that PA predicts emotion regulation deficits, whereas PN impairs working memory. Methods: Data were collected from 1,259 Swiss adolescents in a general population sample who participated in a cross-sectional self-report survey. PA and PN were measured with the Computer-Assisted Maltreatment Inventory and additional subscales. Emotion Regulation was assessed using the Dysfunctional Emotional Regulation Scale and visuospatial working memory was measured using the Spatial Span Task. Hierarchical linear regression models were computed, controlling for co-occurring adversities, early onset, chronicity, and gender. Results and Conclusions: PA (β = 0.42, p < 0.001) emerged as a stronger predictor of emotion regulation deficits compared to PN (β = 0.08, p = 0.024), while controlling for other variables. In contrast, PN showed no explanatory power for working memory, a pattern consistent across all other predictors. These findings partially align with the DMAP framework, underscoring the significant impact of PA, while the relationship between PN and cognitive functioning remains unclear and warrants further investigation.