Childhood trauma and psychological distress during adulthood in children from Huntington's disease families: An exploratory retrospective analysis

Background Children of people with Huntington's disease (HD) often face a wide range of early psychological challenges which may lead to further psychological difficulties later in life. Objective This exploratory retrospective study aimed to investigate the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and psychological difficulties during adulthood in individuals raised in HD families compared to matched controls. Methods Thirty-eight adult children of people with HD and 20 matched controls completed a demographic questionnaire, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Mann–Whitney U Tests were used to compare groups on all measures. A multiple regression model was developed within the HD Family group to investigate which aspects of childhood trauma best predicted psychological distress in adulthood. Results Compared to controls, people raised in an HD family reported significantly more total childhood trauma as well emotional abuse, physical abuse, and emotional and physical neglect. Global psychological distress in adulthood, depression, and psychoticism were also observed to be significantly higher in the HD Family Group. The regression model identified childhood emotional abuse as the only significant predictor of global psychological distress in adulthood. Conclusions Growing up in an HD family may be significantly associated with higher levels of self-reported childhood trauma as well as psychological distress in adulthood, with emotional abuse playing a more significant role in shaping long-term mental health outcomes.