Trait Mindfulness May Buffer Against the Deleterious Effects of Childhood Abuse in Recurrent Depression: A Retrospective Exploratory Study

Objective: Individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment are particularly vulnerable to a longer course of depression. Immunization theories of resilience suggest that resilience and related factors may buffer against the deleterious effects of early childhood adversity. Trait mindfulness is linked to resilience and may be a pathway to cultivating this dynamic process. In this study, we investigated whether trait mindfulness can buffer against the effects of early childhood maltreatment in predicting lifetime number of months depressed.

Method: We recruited 43 previously depressed, currently remitted patients, and retrospectively examined their depression history (using a structured interview, LIFE-SCID), their self-reported experience of maltreatment in the first 16 years of life (MOPS), and their levels of trait mindfulness (MAAS).

Results: We found that number of months depressed in a lifetime was positively associated with reported childhood maltreatment, and negatively associated with trait mindfulness. Secondly, we found evidence that trait mindfulness significantly moderated the relationship of early childhood maltreatment and number of months depressed. Specifically, it appears that individuals who report severe histories of maltreatment are especially vulnerable to recurrent depression if they are also reporting low levels of trait mindfulness.

Conclusions: Increasing mindfulness may be warranted among individuals reporting a history of childhood abuse with lower baselines of trait mindfulness; however, results of this retrospective study require replication in a larger, prospective trial.