Abstract

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is thought to be associated with altered responses to social stimuli and interpersonal signals. However, limited evidence exists that CM is linked to larger comfortable interpersonal distance (CID) – the physical distance humans prefer towards others during social interactions. However, no previous study has investigated this association in a comprehensive sample, yielding sufficient statistical power. Moreover, preliminary findings are limited to the European region. Finally, it is unclear how CM affects CID towards different interaction partners, and whether CID is linked to social functioning and attachment. To address these outstanding issues, adults (N = 2986) from diverse cultures and socio-economic strata completed a reaction time task measuring CID towards an approaching stranger and friend. Higher CM was linked to a larger CID towards both friends and strangers. Moreover, insecure attachment and less social support were associated with larger CID. These findings demonstrate for the first time that CM affects CID across countries and cultures, highlighting the robustness of this association.

Details

Title
Childhood maltreatment is linked to larger preferred interpersonal distances towards friends and strangers across the globe
Author
Haim-Nachum, Shilat 1 ; Sopp, Marie R. 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lüönd, Antonia M. 3 ; Afzal, Nimrah 4 ; Åhs, Fredrik 5 ; Allgaier, Antje-Kathrin 6 ; Arévalo, Adrián 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Asongwe, Christian 8 ; Bachem, Rahel 9 ; Balle, Stefanie R. 6 ; Belete, Habte 10 ; Belete Mossie, Tilahun 10 ; Berzengi, Azi 11 ; Capraz, Necip 12 ; Ceylan, Deniz 13   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Dukes, Daniel 14   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Essadek, Aziz 15 ; Fares-Otero, Natalia E. 16   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Halligan, Sarah L. 17 ; Hemi, Alla 18   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Iqbal, Naved 19 ; Jobson, Laura 20 ; Levy-Gigi, Einat 21   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Martin-Soelch, Chantal 22   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Michael, Tanja 23   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Oe, Misari 24   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Olff, Miranda 25 ; Örnkloo, Helena 5 ; Prakash, Krithika 26 ; Quaatz, Sarah M. 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Raghavan, Vijaya 27 ; Ramakrishnan, Muniarajan 5 ; Reis, Dorota 28 ; Şar, Vedat 13 ; Schnyder, Ulrich 29   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Seedat, Soraya 30   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Shihab, Ibtihal Najm 31 ; Vandhana, Susilkumar 32 ; Wadji, Dany Laure 33 ; Wamser, Rachel 34 ; Zabag, Reut 35 ; Spies, Georgina 30 ; Pfaltz, Monique C. 36 

1  Bar-Ilan University, Faculty of Education, Ramat-Gan, Israel (GRID:grid.22098.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0503); Columbia University, Department of Psychiatry, New York, USA (GRID:grid.21729.3f) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8729) 
2  Bar-Ilan University, Faculty of Education, Ramat-Gan, Israel (GRID:grid.22098.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0503); Saarland University, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Saarbrücken, Germany (GRID:grid.11749.3a) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 7588) 
3  University of Zurich, Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland (GRID:grid.7400.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0650); University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Zurich, Switzerland (GRID:grid.412004.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 0478 9977) 
4  University of Bath, Department of Psychology, Bath, UK (GRID:grid.7340.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2162 1699) 
5  Mid Sweden University, Department of Psychology and Social Work, Östersund, Sweden (GRID:grid.29050.3e) (ISNI:0000 0001 1530 0805) 
6  University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Department of Psychology, Munich, Germany (GRID:grid.7752.7) (ISNI:0000 0000 8801 1556) 
7  Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Piura, Lima, Peru (GRID:grid.10800.39) (ISNI:0000 0001 2107 4576); Facultad de Medicina “San Fernando”, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru (GRID:grid.10800.39) (ISNI:0000 0001 2107 4576) 
8  University of Bamenda, Department of History, Faculty of Arts, Bamenda, Cameroon (GRID:grid.449799.e) (ISNI:0000 0004 4684 0857) 
9  University of Zurich, Department of Psychology, Zurich, Switzerland (GRID:grid.7400.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0650) 
10  Bahir Dar University, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia (GRID:grid.442845.b) (ISNI:0000 0004 0439 5951) 
11  University of East Anglia, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies, Norwich, UK (GRID:grid.8273.e) (ISNI:0000 0001 1092 7967) 
12  Private Practice, Istanbul, Turkey (GRID:grid.8273.e) 
13  Koç University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey (GRID:grid.15876.3d) (ISNI:0000 0001 0688 7552) 
14  University of Geneva, Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland (GRID:grid.8591.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2175 2154) 
15  University of Lorraine, Interpsy EA4432, Nancy, France (GRID:grid.29172.3f) (ISNI:0000 0001 2194 6418); Hôpitaux de Saint-Maurice, Saint-Maurice, France (GRID:grid.414238.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0471 9696) 
16  University of Barcelona (UB), Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clínic, Institute of Neurosciences (UBNeuro), Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Barcelona, Spain (GRID:grid.5841.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0247); Health Institute Carlos III (ISCIII), Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica (FCRB), Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Network Centre for Biomedical Research in Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain (GRID:grid.428756.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0412 0974) 
17  University of Bath, Department of Psychology, Bath, UK (GRID:grid.7340.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2162 1699); University of Cape Town, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Cape Town, South Africa (GRID:grid.7836.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 1151); Stellenbosch University, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch, South Africa (GRID:grid.11956.3a) (ISNI:0000 0001 2214 904X) 
18  Bar-Ilan University, Faculty of Education, Ramat-Gan, Israel (GRID:grid.22098.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0503) 
19  Jamia Millia Islamia, Department of Psychology, New Delhi, India (GRID:grid.411818.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 0498 8255) 
20  Monash University, School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Clayton, Australia (GRID:grid.1002.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 7857) 
21  Bar-Ilan University, Faculty of Education, Ramat-Gan, Israel (GRID:grid.22098.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0503); Bar-Ilan University, The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel (GRID:grid.22098.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0503) 
22  University of Fribourg, Department of Psychology, Fribourg, Switzerland (GRID:grid.8534.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0478 1713) 
23  Saarland University, Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Saarbrücken, Germany (GRID:grid.11749.3a) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 7588) 
24  Kurume University, Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan (GRID:grid.410781.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0706 0776) 
25  University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience & Public Health, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (GRID:grid.7177.6) (ISNI:0000000084992262); ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, The Netherlands (GRID:grid.491097.2) 
26  Eastern Michigan University, Department of Psychology, Ypsilanti, USA (GRID:grid.255399.1) (ISNI:0000 0001 0674 3006) 
27  Schizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai, India (GRID:grid.419551.d) (ISNI:0000 0004 0505 0533) 
28  Saarland University, Research Group Applied Statistical Modeling, Department of Psychology, Saarbrücken, Germany (GRID:grid.11749.3a) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 7588) 
29  University of Zurich, Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland (GRID:grid.7400.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0650) 
30  Stellenbosch University, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch, South Africa (GRID:grid.11956.3a) (ISNI:0000 0001 2214 904X); Stellenbosch University, South African Research PTSD Programme of Excellence, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa (GRID:grid.11956.3a) (ISNI:0000 0001 2214 904X); Stellenbosch University, South African Medical Research Council / Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Cape Town, South Africa (GRID:grid.11956.3a) (ISNI:0000 0001 2214 904X) 
31  Al-Kitab University, Kirkuk, Iraq (GRID:grid.11956.3a) 
32  Nungambakkam, Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital (KKCTH), Chennai, India (GRID:grid.412931.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 1767 8213); Thandalam, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, India (GRID:grid.460934.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 1770 5787) 
33  University of Fribourg, Department of Psychology, Fribourg, Switzerland (GRID:grid.8534.a) (ISNI:0000 0004 0478 1713); McGill University, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, Montreal, Canada (GRID:grid.14709.3b) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8649) 
34  University of Missouri – St. Louis, Psychological Sciences Faculty, St. Louis, USA (GRID:grid.266757.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 1480 9378) 
35  Bar-Ilan University, Department of Psychology, Ramat-Gan, Israel (GRID:grid.22098.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0503); Yale University, Department of Psychology, New Haven, USA (GRID:grid.47100.32) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8710) 
36  University of Zurich, Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland (GRID:grid.7400.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0650); Mid Sweden University, Department of Psychology and Social Work, Östersund, Sweden (GRID:grid.29050.3e) (ISNI:0000 0001 1530 0805) 
Pages
339
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
21583188
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-024-02980-2
ProQuest document ID
3096450999
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.