Childhood maltreatment is longitudinally associated with cardiometabolic biomarkers through marital quality: Do health locus of control and eating habits matter?

Childhood maltreatment influences adult physical health through cascading effects over the life course and it is critical to identify intervening processes. Marital quality has significant implications for adult physical health via cognitive, emotional, and behavioral pathways and may be a viable pathway. Given that cardiometabolic biomarkers are associated with the leading causes of death in the United States, the current study longitudinally investigated marital quality, health locus of control, and eating habits in a serial mediation model linking childhood maltreatment to high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL). Using a sample of 352 adults from the study of Midlife Development in the United States, we used three waves of data to test our hypotheses. Results of structural equation models indicate that although all the hypothesized direct effects were statistically significant, the serial indirect effects were non-significant. Childhood maltreatment was associated with a lower quality marriage, marital quality was associated with higher levels of health locus of control which, in turn, was associated with healthier eating habits. Finally, healthier eating habits were associated with greater HDL, but not lower LDL. Additionally, marital quality exerted a direct effect on LDL and mediated the relationship between maltreatment and LDL, but not HDL. For researchers, marital quality appears to be a mechanism linking childhood maltreatment to cardiometabolic biomarkers, yet health locus of control and eating habits do not appear to have strong effects. For clinicians, strengthening the couple relationship among survivors of maltreatment appears to have health promotive effects over time.