The Effect of Childhood Trauma on Depression in Adolescents: The Mediating Effect of Psychological Resilience

Adverse childhood experiences, also known as childhood trauma, have been found to affect the level of depressive mood in adolescent individuals significantly. However, the underlying psychological mechanism is still being explored, especially the role of psychological resilience and factors closely related to students. This study focuses on the influence of childhood trauma on depressive mood in a broad group of Chinese adolescents. The primary focus of this research is to examine how psychological resilience acts as a mediator in the connection between childhood trauma and feelings of depression. Seventy-three adolescents (33 male, mean age = 16.95, standard deviation = 1.47) in the Chinese Mainland were included in the study, and their childhood trauma level, psychological resilience level, and depression level were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Psychological Resilience Questionnaire, and Self Rating Depression Scale. Compare whether there are differences in psychological resilience and depression levels among individuals with different levels of childhood trauma through t-test, And examine the relationship between various variables and the mediating role of psychological resilience through correlation and mediation analysis. The findings of the research presented that individuals who experienced more childhood trauma had significantly worse levels of psychological resilience and depression than individuals who experienced less childhood trauma. In addition, childhood trauma was a positive predictor of depression. Finally, mental resilience played a partial mediating role. The discovery of relevant results will clarify the psychological mechanism of childhood trauma affecting depressive mood and provide a potential psychological intervention plan for alleviating the adverse effects of childhood traumatic experiences.