Dion, J., Matte-Gagné, C., Daigneault, I., Blackburn, M-E., Hébert, M., McDuff, P., Auclair, J., Veillette, S. & Perron, M. (2016). A prospective study of the impact of child maltreatment and friend support on psychological distress trajectory: From adolescence to emerging adulthood. Journal of Affective Disorders, 189, 336-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.08.074
A 10-year study of 605 youths found that psychological distress generally declined from age 14 to 24, especially after 18. Childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse and exposure to intimate partner violence, alone and in combination, each predicted more distress over time, while stronger friend support at 14 predicted less. These results underscore the value of early intervention.