The wounds of childhood: Early trauma subtypes, salience and hyperarousal in a sample of adult psychiatric patients

Background: The relationship between early trauma, hyperarousal and aberrant salience has been investigated exclusively in specific clinical samples, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychotic patients, and the results suggest that both dimensions are trauma-induced events, which may lead to the later onset, or increase the vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the possible relationships among early childhood trauma subtypes and the dimensions of hyperarousal and aberrant salience in an adult sample of psychiatric patients. Materials and Methods: One-hundred psychiatric adult outpatients were assessed by Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form (ETISR-SF), Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI) and Hyperarousal Scale (H-Scale). A linear regression analysis was performed in order to investigate which early traumatic events were a predictor of the aberrant salience and the hyperarousal. Results: Regression analysis indicated that only ETISR-SF ‘Emotional abuse’ was the unique predictor of ASI ‘Total score’ (p < .0001) and H-Scale ‘Total score’ (p = .031), whereas other ETISR-SF variables did not give a significant additional contribution to the prediction of aberrant salience and the hyperarousal dimension. Conclusions: These findings support the role of emotional abuse as predictor of hyperarousal, a basic dimension associated with general vulnerability to mental illness. The awareness of the psychiatric consequences of early childhood trauma leads us to consider the need for better identification of children at risk, to develop effective interventions for the protection of minors from violent and/or inappropriate behaviors and to promote the development of protective resilience factors against re-victimization.