{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T19:05:58Z","timestamp":1782932758018,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":55,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,21]],"date-time":"2025-03-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742515200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Childhood adversities (CAs) and stressful life events (SLEs) are linked to depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. However, their interrelationships are not well studied. We aimed to examine the potential role of PTSD symptoms as risk factors for both outcomes, test the stress sensitization hypothesis, and investigate the pathways linking CAs, stressful life events (SLEs) and PTSD symptoms, and depressive and anxiety symptoms.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from adult participants at baseline (2006-2010) and online follow-up (2016) in the UK Biobank. Data analysis was performed from February 24, 2023, to July 12, 2023. Linear regression and serial mediation analyses were performed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>PTSD symptoms was significantly associated with depressive (\u03b2 = 0.567, p&amp;lt;.001) and anxiety symptoms (\u03b2 = 0.558, p&amp;lt;.001). The interaction between CAs and SLEs was still significantly associated with depressive symptoms when accounting for those of PTSD as covariates (\u03b2 = 0.017, p&amp;lt;.001), but not for anxiety symptoms. The serial mediation analyses revealed that SLEs and PTSD symptoms were both significant sequential mediators between CAs and symptoms of depression and anxiety (proportion mediated: 75.14% and 84.27%, respectively, p&amp;lt; 0.05).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>Our study provided further evidence for stress sensitization hypothesis only among participants with depressive symptoms and found that SLEs and PSTD symptoms partly mediated the association between CAs and depressive and anxiety symptoms. These findings may provide new evidence to better understand the pathogenesis of depression and anxiety and will help to guide future prevention and intervention for both diseases.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1488320","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,21]],"date-time":"2025-03-21T14:45:24Z","timestamp":1742568324000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Impact of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, childhood adversities and stressful life events on depressive and anxiety symptoms: insights from the UK Biobank"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Qianshu","family":"Ma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Min","family":"Xie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elyse","family":"Llamocca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yupeng","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liling","family":"Xiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yiguo","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shiwan","family":"Tao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yulu","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yunqi","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yubing","family":"Yin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yunjia","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Siyi","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Renhao","family":"Deng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chunxia","family":"Qiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Menghan","family":"Wei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yang","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jia","family":"Cai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hongsheng","family":"Gui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qiang","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","unstructured":"Mental health disorders"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(21)02143-7","article-title":"Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"398","author":"Santomauro","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(12)61729-2","article-title":"Years lived with disability (YLDs) for 1160 sequelae of 289 diseases and injuries 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010","volume":"380","author":"Vos","year":"2012","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291713003243","article-title":"The global burden of anxiety disorders in 2010","volume":"44","author":"Baxter","year":"2014","journal-title":"psychol Med"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"397","DOI":"10.1007\/s00406-022-01495-5","article-title":"Psychological trauma as a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental disorder: an umbrella meta-analysis","volume":"273","author":"Hogg","year":"2023","journal-title":"Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-2667(17)30118-4","article-title":"The effect of multiple adverse childhood experiences on health: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"2","author":"Hughes","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lancet Public Health"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2023.2140","article-title":"Associations between objective and subjective experiences of childhood maltreatment and the course of emotional disorders in adulthood","volume":"80","author":"Danese","year":"2023","journal-title":"JAMA Psychiatry"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bbi.2022.07.158","article-title":"Childhood trauma and LPS-stimulated inflammation in adulthood: Results from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety","volume":"106","author":"de Koning","year":"2022","journal-title":"Brain Behav Immun"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291723001526","article-title":"Abnormalities in brain structure following childhood unpredictability: a mechanism underlying depressive and anxiety symptoms","author":"Wang","year":"2023","journal-title":"psychol Med"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2021.01.054","article-title":"Childhood trauma in adult depressive and anxiety disorders: an integrated review on psychological and biological mechanisms in the NESDA cohort","volume":"283","author":"Kuzminskaite","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291709992121","article-title":"Childhood adversity, adult stressful life events, and risk of past-year psychiatric disorder: a test of the stress sensitization hypothesis in a population-based sample of adults","volume":"40","author":"McLaughlin","year":"2010","journal-title":"Psychol Med"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1176\/ajp.144.9.1178","article-title":"Stressful life events and the onset of a generalized anxiety syndrome","volume":"144","author":"Blazer","year":"1987","journal-title":"Am J Psychiatry"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"60","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(22)00821-2","article-title":"Complex post-traumatic stress disorder","volume":"400","author":"Maercker","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychres.2017.09.017","article-title":"The relationship between PTSD, depression and negative life events: Ya\u2019an earthquake three years later","volume":"259","author":"Jin","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychiatry Res"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.1192\/bjp.bp.115.180752","article-title":"Childhood maltreatment and characteristics of adult depression: Meta-analysis","volume":"210","author":"Nelson","year":"2017","journal-title":"Br J Psychiatry"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-clinpsy-050817-084811","article-title":"Risk factors for depression: an autobiographical review","volume":"14","author":"Hammen","year":"2018","journal-title":"Annu Rev Clin Psychol"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2007.06.005","article-title":"Risk factors for anxiety and depression in the elderly: a review","volume":"106","author":"Vink","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-006X.68.5.782","article-title":"Depression and sensitization to stressors among young women as a function of childhood adversity","volume":"68","author":"Hammen","year":"2000","journal-title":"J Consult Clin Psychol"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5771","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-019-13622-3","article-title":"Stress sensitization among severely neglected children and protection by social enrichment","volume":"10","author":"Wade","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nat Commun"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13607863.2021.1904379","article-title":"A longitudinal study shows stress proliferation effects from early childhood adversity and recent stress on risk for depressive symptoms among older adults","volume":"26","author":"Arpawong","year":"2022","journal-title":"Aging Ment Health"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2007.120253","article-title":"Population attributable fractions of psychiatric disorders and suicide ideation and attempts associated with adverse childhood experiences","volume":"98","author":"Afifi","year":"2008","journal-title":"Am J Public Health"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13607863.2021.1910787","article-title":"Multi-sample assessment of stress reactivity as a mediator between childhood adversity and mid- to late-life outcomes","volume":"26","author":"Sheffler","year":"2022","journal-title":"Aging Ment Health"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1050260","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.1050260","article-title":"PTSD and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents exposed to multiple stressors from natural disasters, stressful life events, and maltreatment: A dose-response effect","volume":"13","author":"Ni","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/da.23201","article-title":"The interactions between childhood adversities and recent stress were associated with early-adulthood depression among Chinese undergraduate students","volume":"38","author":"Li","year":"2021","journal-title":"Depress Anxiety"},{"key":"B25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S47","DOI":"10.1037\/tra0001331","article-title":"The mediating role of posttraumatic stress symptoms on somatization in adolescents: A two-wave longitudinal study","volume":"15","author":"Pinto","year":"2023","journal-title":"Psychol Trauma"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e1","DOI":"10.1017\/S2045796022000798","article-title":"Childhood adversities and risk of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression following a motor vehicle collision in adulthood","volume":"32","author":"Ziobrowski","year":"2023","journal-title":"Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/13607863.2022.2076204","article-title":"Childhood abuse\/neglect and temporal patterns in late-life anxiety","volume":"27","author":"Bakouni","year":"2023","journal-title":"Aging Ment Health"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41586-018-0579-z","article-title":"The UK Biobank resource with deep phenotyping and genomic data","volume":"562","author":"Bycroft","year":"2018","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e18","DOI":"10.1192\/bjo.2019.100","article-title":"Mental health in UK Biobank \u2013 development, implementation and results from an online questionnaire completed by 157 366 participants: a reanalysis","volume":"6","author":"Davis","year":"2020","journal-title":"BJPsych Open"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2015.12.075","article-title":"Validation of the PHQ-9 in a psychiatric sample","volume":"193","author":"Beard","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Affect Disord"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.janxdis.2014.06.002","article-title":"Beyond generalized anxiety disorder: Psychometric properties of the GAD-7 in a heterogeneous psychiatric sample","volume":"28","author":"Beard","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Anxiety Disord"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brat.2004.04.005","article-title":"An abbreviated PTSD checklist for use as a screening instrument in primary care","volume":"43","author":"Lang","year":"2005","journal-title":"Behav Res Ther"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1405","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-023-16280-9","article-title":"The level of education is associated with an anxiety-depressive state among men and women \u2013 findings from France during the first quarter of the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"23","author":"Joann\u00e8s","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e027530","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2018-027530","article-title":"Association between area deprivation and major depressive disorder in British men and women: a cohort study","volume":"9","author":"Remes","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopsych.2020.11.019","article-title":"Socioeconomic deprivation index is associated with psychiatric disorders: an observational and genome-wide gene-by-environment interaction analysis in the UK biobank cohort","volume":"89","author":"Ye","year":"2021","journal-title":"Biol Psychiatry"},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/tra0000455","article-title":"Longitudinal cross-lagged relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in adolescents following the Yancheng tornado in China","volume":"11","author":"An","year":"2019","journal-title":"psychol Trauma: Theory Res Practice Policy"},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/bs13070567","article-title":"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Mental Health in Chinese College Athletes during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Multiple Mediating Effects of Basic Psychological Needs and Generalized Anxiety Disorder","volume":"13","author":"Zhao","year":"2023","journal-title":"Behav Sci (Basel)"},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1172\/JCI145942","article-title":"Genetic evidence suggests posttraumatic stress disorder as a subtype of major depressive disorder","volume":"132","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Clin Invest"},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/archgenpsychiatry.2011.2178","article-title":"Reduced structural connectivity of a major frontolimbic pathway in generalized anxiety disorder","volume":"69","author":"Tromp","year":"2012","journal-title":"Arch Gen Psychiatry"},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"66","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neulet.2016.02.041","article-title":"White matter microstructure of the uncinate fasciculus is associated with subthreshold posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and fear potentiated startle during early extinction in recently deployed Service Members","volume":"618","author":"Costanzo","year":"2016","journal-title":"Neurosci Lett"},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291714002372","article-title":"Childhood trauma is associated with a specific admixture of affective, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms cutting across traditional diagnostic boundaries","volume":"45","author":"van Nierop","year":"2015","journal-title":"psychol Med"},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3946","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-018-22221-z","article-title":"Significance of risk polymorphisms for depression depends on stress exposure","volume":"8","author":"Gonda","year":"2018","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"493","DOI":"10.1037\/vio0000303","article-title":"Childhood maltreatment and later stressful life events as predictors of depression: A test of the stress sensitization hypothesis","volume":"10","author":"Rousson","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychol Violence"},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"260","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-014-0260-5","article-title":"Differential roles of childhood adversities and stressful war experiences in the development of mental health symptoms in post-war adolescents in northern Uganda","volume":"14","author":"Okello","year":"2014","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0033291717001064","article-title":"Childhood adversity, adult stress, and the risk of major depression or generalized anxiety disorder in US soldiers: a test of the stress sensitization hypothesis","volume":"47","author":"Bandoli","year":"2017","journal-title":"Psychol Med"},{"key":"B46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4088\/JCP.14m09328","article-title":"Posttraumatic stress disorder in the US veteran population: results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study","volume":"75","author":"Pietrzak","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Clin Psychiatry"},{"key":"B47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.ajp.2020.20030305","article-title":"The critical relationship between anxiety and depression","volume":"177","author":"Kalin","year":"2020","journal-title":"Am J Psychiatry"},{"key":"B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41562-021-01094-9","article-title":"Symptom-level modelling unravels the shared genetic architecture of anxiety and depression","volume":"5","author":"Thorp","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat Hum Behav"},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11682-023-00797-z","article-title":"Gray matter abnormalities in patients with major depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder: a voxel-based meta-analysis","volume":"17","author":"Liang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Brain Imaging Behav"},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chiabu.2008.12.009","article-title":"The relationship between child abuse, parental divorce, and lifetime mental disorders and suicidality in a nationally representative adult sample","volume":"33","author":"Afifi","year":"2009","journal-title":"Child Abuse Negl"},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1038\/npp.2015.266","article-title":"The genetics of stress-related disorders: PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders","volume":"41","author":"Smoller","year":"2016","journal-title":"Neuropsychopharmacol: Off Publ Am Coll Neuropsychopharmacol"},{"key":"B52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41386-023-01638-9","article-title":"From childhood adversity to latent stress vulnerability in adulthood: the mediating roles of sleep disturbances and HPA axis dysfunction","volume":"52","author":"Simon","year":"2023","journal-title":"Neuropsychopharmacol: Off Publ Am Coll Neuropsychopharmacol"},{"key":"B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-019-2016-8","article-title":"Associations between childhood maltreatment and adult depression: a mediation analysis","volume":"19","author":"Klumparendt","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"key":"B54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpsychires.2018.11.016","article-title":"The symptoms at the center: Examining the comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and depression with network analysis","volume":"109","author":"Price","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Psychiatr Res"},{"key":"B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100224","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lanepe.2021.100224","article-title":"Child maltreatment and incident mental disorders in middle and older ages: a retrospective UK Biobank cohort study","volume":"11","author":"Macpherson","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lancet Reg Health Eur"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychiatry"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1488320\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,21]],"date-time":"2025-03-21T14:45:38Z","timestamp":1742568338000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1488320\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,21]]},"references-count":55,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1488320"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyt.2025.1488320","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-0640"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-0640","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,21]]},"article-number":"1488320"}}