Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration in the Association Between Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Stress Response: A Cross-Sectional Study of Chinese Adults

Childhood maltreatment is associated with adult stress response, but the roles of basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration remain unclear. This study examined indirect associations between childhood maltreatment and adult stress response through psychological need dimensions, considering overall maltreatment and its subtypes. Participants were 345 adults, including 74 with and 271 without a reported psychiatric diagnosis. Self-report measures assessed childhood maltreatment, need satisfaction and frustration, and stress response. Hierarchical regression, mediation, and sensitivity analyses were conducted, adjusting for age, sex, subjective socioeconomic status, and diagnosis status. In the final regression model, competence frustration and autonomy frustration were positively associated with stress response, whereas competence satisfaction was negatively associated. In parallel mediation, only competence frustration retained a significant indirect association after false discovery rate (FDR) correction (B = .144, β = .083, adjusted p = .002). In subtype-specific models, emotional abuse showed corrected indirect associations through all need frustration dimensions, emotional neglect through all need satisfaction dimensions, and physical neglect through relatedness frustration. No corrected indirect associations were observed for sexual or physical abuse. Sensitivity analyses found no robust moderation by diagnosis status. Findings highlight competence frustration and differing need-related patterns, although the cross-sectional design precludes causal interpretation.