Social contact recovery and depressive symptoms after the pandemic lockdowns: the lasting impact of child neglect

Background: Child maltreatment is a major risk factor for depression and impairs social functioning in adulthood. The COVID-19 pandemic, through its widespread social restrictions, provided a unique opportunity to examine how adults with and without histories of child maltreatment re-established social contacts after a shared period of isolation.Objective: This study investigated whether adults with a history of child maltreatment were slower to recover social contact after the COVID-19 lockdowns and whether these social contact trajectories predicted depressive symptoms one year after the pandemic.Method: Longitudinal data from the German cohort of the ADJUST study (N = 701) were analysed across five waves collected between June 2020 and April 2024. Child maltreatment (conceptualised to include both domains of child abuse and neglect) was assessed at baseline. Social contact frequency and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) were measured at all timepoints. Cumulative link mixed models and linear regressions examined associations between child maltreatment, social contact change, and depressive symptoms while controlling for sociodemographic variables and baseline depression.Results: Overall, social contact increased as restrictions eased. While overall child maltreatment was not associated with social contact change, child neglect (but not abuse) predicted weaker increases in social contact over time, suggesting reduced social re-engagement. Child neglect was significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms one year after the pandemic, even when baseline symptoms were controlled. Greater individual increases in social contact recovery predicted lower depressive symptoms, and this association was stronger among participants with a maltreatment history.Conclusions: Recovery of social contact after large-scale social disruptions is impaired among adults with a history of child neglect and is associated with persistent depressive symptoms. Interventions fostering social reconnection and trust rebuilding may mitigate long-term mental-health risks among neglect survivors.Antecedentes: El maltrato infantil es un importante factor de riesgo para la depresi & oacute;n y deteriora el funcionamiento social en la adultez. La pandemia de COVID-19, a trav & eacute;s de sus amplias restricciones sociales, proporcion & oacute; una oportunidad & uacute;nica para examinar c & oacute;mo los adultos con y sin antecedentes de maltrato infantil restablecieron sus contactos sociales despu & eacute;s de un per & iacute;odo compartido de aislamiento.Objetivo: Este estudio investig & oacute; si los adultos con antecedentes de maltrato infantil fueron m & aacute;s lentos en recuperar el contacto social despu & eacute;s de los confinamientos por COVID-19 y si estas trayectorias de contacto social predijeron s & iacute;ntomas depresivos un a & ntilde;o despu & eacute;s de la pandemia.M & eacute;todo: Se analizaron datos longitudinales de [oculto para revisi & oacute;n] a trav & eacute;s de cinco oleadas recolectadas entre junio de 2020 y abril de 2024. El maltrato infantil (conceptualizado para incluir tanto los dominios de abuso como de negligencia infantil) fue evaluado al inicio del estudio. La frecuencia de contacto social y los s & iacute;ntomas depresivos (PHQ-9) se midieron en todos los momentos de evaluaci & oacute;n. Se utilizaron modelos mixtos de enlace acumulativo y regresiones lineales para examinar las asociaciones entre maltrato infantil, cambios en el contacto social y s & iacute;ntomas depresivos, controlando variables sociodemogr & aacute;ficas y la depresi & oacute;n basal.Resultados: En general, el contacto social aument & oacute; a medida que se flexibilizaron las restricciones. Aunque el maltrato infantil global no se asoci & oacute; con cambios en el contacto social, la negligencia infantil (pero no el abuso) predijo incrementos menores en el contacto social a lo largo del tiempo, lo que sugiere una menor reintegraci & oacute;n social. La negligencia infantil se asoci & oacute; significativamente con mayores s & iacute;ntomas depresivos un a & ntilde;o despu & eacute;s de la pandemia, incluso despu & eacute;s de controlar los s & iacute;ntomas basales. Mayores incrementos individuales en la recuperaci & oacute;n del contacto social predijeron menores s & iacute;ntomas depresivos, y esta asociaci & oacute;n fue m & aacute;s fuerte entre los participantes con antecedentes de maltrato infantil.Conclusiones La recuperaci & oacute;n del contacto social despu & eacute;s de alteraciones sociales a gran escala se encuentra deteriorada en adultos con antecedentes de negligencia infantil y se asocia con s & iacute;ntomas depresivos persistentes. Las intervenciones orientadas a favorecer la reconexi & oacute;n social y la reconstrucci & oacute;n de la confianza podr & iacute;an mitigar los riesgos para la salud mental a largo plazo en sobrevivientes de negligencia infantil.