The effects of adverse childhood experiences on depression and suicidal behaviors are partially mediated by neuroticism, a forme fruste of major depression

Abstract Neuroticism, a personality trait, can predict major depressive disorder (MDD). The current study aims to determine whether a) neuroticism is a feature of the acute state of MDD, including suicidal behaviors (SB); and b) adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with neuroticism in MDD. This study included 133 participants, 67 normal controls and 66 MDD patients, and assessed the Big 5 Inventory (BFI), ACEs using the ACE Questionnaire, and the phenome of depression using the Hamilton Depression (HAMD) Rating Scale (HAMD), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) scores to assess current SB. Neuroticism was significantly higher in MDD than controls, and it explained 64.9% of the variance in the depression phenome (a latent vector extracted from HAMD, BDI, STAI, and current SB scores). The other BFI domains had much less (extraversion, agreeableness) or no effect (openness, conscientiousness). One latent vector could be extracted from the phenome, lifetime dysthymia, lifetime anxiety disorders and neuroticism scores. Neglect (physical and emotional) and abuse (physical, neglect and sexual) account for approximately 30% of the variance in this latent vector. Partial Least Squares analysis showed that the effects of neglect on the phenome were partially mediated by neuroticism, whereas the effects of abuse were completely mediated by neuroticism. Neuroticism (trait) and the MDD phenome (state) are both manifestations of the same latent core, with neuroticism being a less severe manifestation of major depression, which in fact is a multiplicative manifestation of neuroticism.