Childhood Trauma and Transdiagnostic Mental Health Outcomes Among Adults in 17 Arab Countries: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study Using a Latent Global Trauma Model
- 1Amran University
Abstract
Background: Childhood trauma is a well-established risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes, yet large-scale cross-national evidence from the Arab region remains limited. This study examined the prevalence of childhood trauma and its associations with multiple transdiagnostic outcomes across 17 Arab countries. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between September and October 2025 among 6,181 adults from 17 Arab countries. Childhood trauma was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF). Transdiagnostic mental health outcomes included depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), maladaptive behavior, and social/functional impairment. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed via IBM SPSS Statistics. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted via R (Lavaan) to evaluate a second-order latent construct representing global childhood trauma. Results: Childhood trauma was widely reported across the sample, with physical neglect and emotional neglect emerging as the most frequently endorsed domains. All trauma domains were significantly associated with poorer mental health outcomes (p < .001). In regression analyses adjusted for demographic factors, emotional abuse emerged as the strongest predictor of depression ({beta} = .472, p < .001) and PTSS ({beta} =.439, p < .001). Structural equation modeling supported a second-order global trauma construct, which showed strong associations with depression ({beta} = .70), anxiety ({beta} = .64), PTSS ({beta} = .68), maladaptive behavior ({beta} = .68), and social impairment ({beta} = .67). This latent factor showed strong associations with all mental health outcomes, explaining substantial variance in depression (R2 = .52), anxiety (R2 = .43), and PTSS (R2 = .48). The structural model demonstrated borderline-to-acceptable fit (CFI = .899, TLI = .890, RMSEA = .058, SRMR = .085), supporting the hypothesized latent structure while indicating scope for further model refinement. Conclusions: Childhood trauma is highly prevalent across the Arab region and is strongly associated with multiple dimensions of psychological distress, highlighting the urgent need for trauma-informed prevention, screening, and early intervention programs in the Arab region.
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BibTeX
@misc{aldhayani2026childhood,
title = {{Childhood Trauma and Transdiagnostic Mental Health Outcomes Among Adults in 17 Arab Countries: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study Using a Latent Global Trauma Model}},
author = {K. M. Al-Dhayani and B. A. Osman and D. M. Elrayah and Y. E. Hassan and A. N. Abusafyeh and S. El Fil and M. S. Almazrouai and B. H. Hani and Y. N. Rebai and A. S. Almazroei and M. W. Suboh and N. A. Qari and A. A. Alsulqi and L. S. Khadidja},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.19.752885},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.19.752885v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Childhood Trauma and Transdiagnostic Mental Health Outcomes Among Adults in 17 Arab Countries: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study Using a Latent Global Trauma Model
AU - K. M. Al-Dhayani
AU - B. A. Osman
AU - D. M. Elrayah
AU - Y. E. Hassan
AU - A. N. Abusafyeh
AU - S. El Fil
AU - M. S. Almazrouai
AU - B. H. Hani
AU - Y. N. Rebai
AU - A. S. Almazroei
AU - M. W. Suboh
AU - N. A. Qari
AU - A. A. Alsulqi
AU - L. S. Khadidja
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/19
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.19.752885
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.19.752885v1
AB - Background: Childhood trauma is a well-established risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes, yet large-scale cross-national evidence from the Arab region remains limited. This study examined the prevalence of childhood trauma and its associations with multiple transdiagnostic outcomes across 17 Arab countries. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between September and October 2025 among 6,181 adults from 17 Arab countries. Childhood trauma was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF). Transdiagnostic mental health outcomes included depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), maladaptive behavior, and social/functional impairment. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed via IBM SPSS Statistics. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted via R (Lavaan) to evaluate a second-order latent construct representing global childhood trauma. Results: Childhood trauma was widely reported across the sample, with physical neglect and emotional neglect emerging as the most frequently endorsed domains. All trauma domains were significantly associated with poorer mental health outcomes (p < .001). In regression analyses adjusted for demographic factors, emotional abuse emerged as the strongest predictor of depression ({beta} = .472, p < .001) and PTSS ({beta} =.439, p < .001). Structural equation modeling supported a second-order global trauma construct, which showed strong associations with depression ({beta} = .70), anxiety ({beta} = .64), PTSS ({beta} = .68), maladaptive behavior ({beta} = .68), and social impairment ({beta} = .67). This latent factor showed strong associations with all mental health outcomes, explaining substantial variance in depression (R2 = .52), anxiety (R2 = .43), and PTSS (R2 = .48). The structural model demonstrated borderline-to-acceptable fit (CFI = .899, TLI = .890, RMSEA = .058, SRMR = .085), supporting the hypothesized latent structure while indicating scope for further model refinement. Conclusions: Childhood trauma is highly prevalent across the Arab region and is strongly associated with multiple dimensions of psychological distress, highlighting the urgent need for trauma-informed prevention, screening, and early intervention programs in the Arab region.
ER -