Global reports of childhood maltreatment versus recall of specific maltreatment experiences: Relationships with dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptoms

Although studies have suggested that reports of childhood maltreatment are related to depressive cognitions and symptom levels in adults, it is unclear whether the significant relations reported are due to the recall of specific maltreatment experiences, how individuals globally label their experiences (i.e., whether they believe they were maltreated during childhood), or both. Results from the current study supported the moderating role of global beliefs only for childhood sexual maltreatment. Specifically, the relationship between reports of specific childhood sexual maltreatment experiences and both dysfunctional attitudes and depressive symptom levels was significant only among participants who also globally endorsed a history of childhood sexual maltreatment. In contrast, the correlates of specific childhood emotional and physical maltreatment experiences were, for the most part, independent of whether the participants globally endorsed childhood emotional or physical maltreatment, respectively.