Psychological flexibility as a mediator of the association between early life trauma and psychological symptoms

Early Life Trauma (ELT), trauma before the age of 18, often has a negative psychological impact, even into adulthood. ELT has been linked to a variety of psychopathologies in adulthood including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and PTSD (e.g., Bremner et al., 2007). However, not all individuals who experience ELT report psychological issues. Few studies have examined factors contributing to this discrepancy. The present study examines psychological flexibility against development of depression and PTSD following ELT among a sample (N = 240) of undergraduates who have experienced at least one trauma. Results suggest that ELT (number of traumas and negative impact of traumas) is positively associated with depression and PTSD. Individuals with more traumas reported higher psychological flexibility; psychological flexibility was also associated with less negative impact. As expected, psychological flexibility was associated with fewer psychological symptoms (both depression and PTSD). Further, psychological flexibility partially mediated the association between negative impact of traumas and symptoms, although no mediation was supported for models including number of traumas. This suggests that psychological flexibility is a protective factor for individuals who are negatively impacted by ELT, pointing to the importance of examining impact of trauma and not just number of traumas.