Profiles of Childhood Maltreatment and Defenses: Associations with Personality Functioning in Emerging Adulthood

Childhood maltreatment and maladaptive emotion regulation processes are two interrelated risk factors for impaired personality functioning in emerging adults. However, the impact of the co-occurrence of different childhood maltreatment experiences and maladaptive defensive functioning on personality functioning remains underexplored. This study aimed to identify distinct profiles of maltreatment and defenses while examining their association with self- and interpersonal personality functioning impairments. A community sample of 1,315 cisgender emerging adults (Mage = 24.33, SD = 2.75; 75.06% assigned female at birth; 76.43% heterosexual) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales–Self-Report-30 (DMRS-SR-30), and the Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form (LPFS-BF). Latent profile analysis suggested two profiles: High-Trauma/Maladaptive Defenses (HT/MD) and Low-Trauma/Adaptive Defenses (LT/AD). The first profile was characterized by higher exposure to childhood maltreatment and greater reliance on maladaptive defenses, while the second profile exhibited lower maltreatment exposure and greater reliance on adaptive defenses. Additionally, individuals in the HT/MD profile reported significantly greater impairments in self- and interpersonal personality functioning compared to those in the LT/AD group. These findings suggest that co-occurrence of maltreatment is linked to higher maladaptive defenses, underscoring their impact on personality functioning impairments. Clinically, interventions targeting defensive functioning may help maltreated emerging adults develop healthier self- and interpersonal functioning, facilitating their adaptation to adulthood.