Altered emotion modulated startle in women with a history of childhood neglect

Research has demonstrated the utility of emotion-modulated startle paradigms in assessing emotional regulation and processing. Previous research has documented various abnormalities in emotion regulation and processing among individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment. Less is known about the psychophysiological correlates of emotion processing among maltreated individuals, particularly the relationship between history of childhood neglect and emotion modulated startle. A sample of 85 incarcerated female offenders with or without a history of childhood neglect completed a task assessing affective modulation of the startle reflex by picture valence (positive, neutral, negative). Compared to non-neglected women, neglected women showed a significantly larger startle response during pleasant image trials, and did not show the typical linear effect (i.e., negative startle response > positive startle response). These findings complement and extend previous literature investigating emotion dysregulation among neglected individuals.