Childhood Trauma and Adolescent Internalizing Problems: Examining the Mediating Role of Psychological Resilience and Moderating Role of Parental Emotional Socialization

Abstract

To explore the mediating role of psychological resilience and the moderating role of parental emotional socialization in the relationship between childhood trauma and adolescent internalizing problem. Methods: A sample of 404 groups of adolescent families were recruited in this research to complete the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale, Emotions as a Child Scale, and 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Results: First of all, childhood trauma was positively correlated with adolescent depression (r = 0.51, P < 0.01), anxiety (r = 0.40, P < 0.01), and stress (r = 0.37, P < 0.01). Secondly, adolescent psychological resilience played a mediating effect between childhood trauma and adolescent internalizing problems, with an effect value of 0.17, accounting for 36.96% of the total effect. In closing, both supportive and non-supportive responses of parental emotional socialization perceived by adolescents moderated the first half of the mediation pathway of adolescent psychological resilience and the direct pathway from childhood trauma to adolescent internalizing problems. Conclusion: Childhood trauma affects adolescent internalizing problems, which is indirectly influenced by psychological resilience. Additionally, the supportive and non-supportive responses of parental emotional socialization perceived by adolescents moderate the above-mentioned mediation process, indicating that improving parental emotional socialization level can reduce the severity of internalizing problems of adolescents with childhood trauma experience.