The relationship between childhood trauma and adult neuroticism: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Childhood trauma has been consistently associated with elevated levels of neuroticism in adulthood, a transdiagnostic trait marked by emotional instability, heightened negative affect, and stress sensitivity. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesise evidence examining the association between childhood trauma and adult neuroticism, both overall and by specific trauma subtypes. A comprehensive search of four electronic databases identified 136 eligible studies, encompassing a total of 526,371 individuals. Using a random-effects meta-analysis, results revealed a significant positive association between childhood trauma and adult neuroticism ( g = 0.46). The strength of the association between neuroticism and the different trauma subtype varied. The strongest association was observed for emotional neglect ( g = 0.40), followed by emotional abuse ( g = 0.33). In addition, there were associations between neuroticism and physical abuse ( g = 0.18), physical neglect ( g = 0.15), sexual abuse ( g = 0.22), unspecified abuse ( g = 0.13), and victimisation ( g = 0.21), with the exception of unspecified neglect, which showed no significant association. These findings demonstrate a robust relationship between early adversity and neuroticism. Childhood trauma may lead to adaptions that give rise to neuroticism through several psychological mechanisms such as disruptions in attachment and the formation of negative self-beliefs, and neurobiological alterations in stress regulation systems. These results underscore the importance of systemic preventative measures and early intervention strategies that may alleviate the psychological and neurobiological consequences of trauma, with the potential to increase awareness of adaptions such as neuroticism in trauma-exposed populations. Highlights • Meta-analytic results demonstrate that childhood trauma is associated with higher levels of adult neuroticism. • Emotional neglect during childhood shows the strongest association with neuroticism in adulthood. • The majority of subtypes of childhood trauma are associated with higher neuroticism. • Trauma may impact neuroticism through emotional and neurobiological mechanisms. • Findings support preventative measures and trauma-informed intervention strategies (e.g., at micro, meso and macro levels).