Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

Differential Associations Between Childhood Trauma Subtypes and Anxiety Symptoms in Young Adults

Chak WongUniversity of College London*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Childhood trauma act as a potential predictor for anxiety, while many studies regard early predicament as a binary factor instead of a multifaceted progression. This study operated a cross-sectional, correlational design on university-aged sample, aiming to examine the correlations between five childhood trauma subtypes accordingly to CTQ-SF (sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect) and three anxiety disorders (Generalized Anxiety Disorder – GAD-7, Social Anxiety – SIAS, Panic Disorder – PDSS-SR) via online assessments. Measures included the CTQ-SF (28 items; five subscales), GAD-7 (0–21), SIAS (20 items), and PDSS-SR (0–28). Anxiety scales were strongly intercorrelated (PDSS-SR-GAD: r=.65; GAD-SIAS: r=.36; PDSS-SR-SIAS: r = .21), while CTQ subscales showed robust covariation (e.g., emotional abuse-physical abuse: r = .68; physical neglect-emotional neglect: r = .62). Notably, the current study proposed gender as a moderating factor, as gender-specific adversity were reported to render certain anxiety disorders. Consequently, a weak relationship between trauma categories (and CTQ aggregation) and anxiety subtypes was established. The results accentuated the essentiality to conceptualize trauma as a multidimensional determinant, including possible reporting bias and underlying mechanisms that transform subtype-specific experiences into discrepant anxiety types. For future directions, research could employ longitudinal and constant-dose models and discover applicable mediators onto intervening programs. Such extension holds implication on tailorizing trauma-sensitive measuring instruments and protective strategies for young population at early stage.

Keywords: childhood trauma; trauma subtypes; gender differences; young adults
Published: November 19, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.HT29805
Volume: CHR Vol.97
pp. 58-66
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