Childhood maltreatment is linked to larger preferred interpersonal distances towards friends and strangers across the globe

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is thought to be associated with altered responses to social stimuli and interpersonal signals. This study investigated the relationship between CM and comfortable interpersonal distance (CID) towards friends and strangers in 2986 adults with varying cultural backgrounds, residing in various countries. Higher levels of different types of CM were linked to larger CID towards both friends and strangers. Insecure attachment styles were associated with a larger CID, and individuals reporting less social support preferred a larger CID. These findings demonstrate that CM affects CID across countries and cultures.

Shilat Haim-Nachum, Marie R. Sopp, Antonia M. Lüönd, Nimrah Afzal, Fredrik Åhs, Antje-Kathrin Allgaier, Adrián Arévalo, Christian Asongwe, Rahel Bachem, Stefanie R. Balle, Habte Belete, Tilahun Belete Mossie, Azi Berzengi, Necip Capraz, Deniz Ceylan, Daniel Dukes, Aziz Essadek, Natalia E. Fares-Otero, Sarah L. Halligan, Alla Hemi, Naved Iqbal, Laura Jobson, Einat Levy-Gigi, Chantal Martin-Soelch, Tanja Michael, Misari Oe, Miranda Olff, Helena Örnkloo, Krithika Prakash, Sarah M. Quaatz, Vijaya Raghavan, Muniarajan Ramakrishnan, Dorota Reis, Vedat Şar, Ulrich Schnyder, Soraya Seedat, Ibtihal Najm Shihab, Susilkumar Vandhana, Dany Laure Wadji, Rachel Wamser, Reut Zabag, Georgina Spies, Monique C. Pfaltz