Childhood trauma and post-traumatic stress symptoms in autoimmune and non-autoimmune hypothyroidism: Implications for clinical psychiatry
Australasian Psychiatry, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1177/10398562261463853
- Dergi Adı: Australasian Psychiatry
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Psycinfo, Public Affairs Index, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Hashimoto's thyroiditis, childhood adversity, emotional neglect, post-traumatic stress
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Objective: This study aimed to compare childhood trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and general psychopathology among patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), non-autoimmune hypothyroidism (NAIH), and controls, and to explore whether thyroid autoimmunity plays a specific role in trauma-related psychopathology. Methods: A total of 120 participants were evaluated: 40 with HT, 41 with NAIH, and 39 controls. All completed standardized psychiatric assessments – the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and Brief Symptom Inventory. Thyroid function and anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) levels were obtained from hospital records. Results: Both HT and NAIH showed significantly higher post-traumatic stress and general psychopathology scores than controls (p < .002). Childhood adversity was most pronounced in HT, followed by NAIH and controls. Emotional neglect was markedly higher in HT compared with both NAIH and controls (p < .05). In both patient groups, trauma scores correlated positively with post-traumatic stress and psychopathology measures (r = 0.35–0.65, p < .01), whereas no significant relationship was observed between anti-TPO levels and psychiatric scales. Conclusions: Childhood adversity, particularly emotional neglect, was most evident in HT, yet both hypothyroid groups exhibited increased trauma-related and psychopathological symptoms. As autoimmunity was assessed only by anti-TPO levels, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and examined in future studies using broader immunological markers.