<p>The present study aims to explore whether self-rated childhood trauma is related to stress-related exhaustion in adulthood. A naturalistic study based on a consecutive clinical sample of patients with stress-related exhaustion (<i>n</i> = 38) and non-clinical controls (<i>n</i> = 33). Early adversity was measured by using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The degree of stress-related exhaustion was assessed by the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ). Patients scored significantly higher on the emotional neglect CTQ-subscale (mean 12.2 (SD 5.0) than controls (mean 9.1 (SD 3.9) (<i>p =</i> 0.008) whereas other subscales did not differ. The total mean score for CTQ did not differ between patients and controls. A higher percentage of patients scored above the cut-off for the subscales emotional neglect (73% compared to 36%) (<i>p =</i> 0.004) and emotional abuse (56% compared to 26%) (<i>p =</i> 0.019) compared to the controls. CTQ subscales emotional neglect and emotional abuse were also significantly related to SMBQ (<i>r</i> = 0.350, <i>p =</i> 0.05) whereas other CTQ subscales were not related to levels of exhaustion in the patient group. Emotional neglect in childhood is more frequently reported by patients with ED than by individuals in the non-clinical population. These findings suggest that, when clinically relevant, a history of emotional neglect should be addressed in the treatment of patients with ED, particularly among those with long-standing symptoms. However, the present study included a small sample size, and the findings require confirmation in larger, adequately powered studies.</p>