Focus on and venting of emotion mediate the pathway from maternal child abuse to adulthood depression severity

Key Points

• The study aims to explore how emotional focus and venting affect the severity of adulthood depression linked to childhood abuse.
• Examined pathways connecting childhood abuse to adulthood major depressive disorder (MDD) severity.
• Identified maladaptive coping patterns as potential mediators.
• Assessed the impact of focusing on and venting emotions on mental health outcomes.
• Maladaptive coping strategies significantly mediate the relationship between childhood abuse and adult depression severity.
• Individuals with a greater focus on emotions showed increased depression symptoms in adulthood.
• Venting emotions may lessen the severity of depression aligned with childhood abuse experiences.