The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Generalized Anxiety Symptoms in a Subclinical Sample with Depressive Symptoms: Examining the Mediating Role of Dissociative Experiences
Keywords:
Childhood Trauma, Generalized Anxiety Symptoms, Dissociative Experiences, Depressive Symptoms, Mediation, University StudentsAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to examine the relationship between childhood trauma and generalized anxiety symptoms and to determine the mediating role of dissociative experiences among university students with elevated depressive symptoms.
Methods and Materials: This applied, descriptive-correlational study was conducted among students at the University of Tabriz during the 2022–2023 academic year. Using convenience sampling, 180 students who scored 18 or higher on the Beck Depression Inventory were selected. Data were collected using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated using SPSS version 25, while the hypothesized mediation model was tested through partial least squares structural equation modeling in SmartPLS version 3. The significance of direct and indirect effects was assessed using bootstrapping.
Findings: Childhood trauma was positively correlated with generalized anxiety symptoms, r = .607, p < .01, and dissociative experiences, r = .549, p < .01. Dissociative experiences were also positively correlated with generalized anxiety symptoms, r = .613, p < .01. Path analysis showed that childhood trauma had a significant direct effect on generalized anxiety symptoms, β = .373, t = 4.004, p < .001, and on dissociative experiences, β = .573, t = 6.137, p < .001. Dissociative experiences significantly predicted generalized anxiety symptoms, β = .401, t = 4.680, p < .001. The indirect effect of childhood trauma on generalized anxiety symptoms through dissociative experiences was significant, β = .230, p < .001, indicating partial mediation. The model explained 47.7% of the variance in generalized anxiety symptoms and 32.8% of the variance in dissociative experiences.
Conclusion: Childhood trauma was associated with greater generalized anxiety symptoms both directly and indirectly through increased dissociative experiences. These findings highlight dissociation as an important mechanism linking early adverse experiences to anxiety among students with depressive symptoms and support trauma-informed assessment and intervention.
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