Childhood Maltreatment and Depression Among Emerging Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Moment-to-Moment Dynamics of Perceived Control and Negative Affect

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a known risk factor for depression, yet its daily cognitive-emotional mechanisms remain unclear, especially under unpredictable stressors like COVID-19. This study examined whether CM relates to mean levels and daily dynamics of perceived control (PC) and negative affect (NA), as well as whether these processes mediate depression in emerging adults. Among 184 Chinese emerging adults ( M age = 21.58, SD = 2.09; 123 females) assessed over 14 days. DSEM revealed significant cross-lagged effects between PC and NA, highlighting the dynamic cognitive-emotional interaction. Moreover, mean levels of PC and NA mediated the association between childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and depression, whereas other CM subtypes were not related to depression through PC or NA. These results suggest that dual cognitive-emotional pathways are fundamental mechanisms connecting CEA to depression. The study highlights the necessity of interventions addressing both PC and NA, especially in the context of unpredictable stressors.