Childhood emotional trauma and social avoidance and distress in adolescents: psychological resilience as mediator and left-behind experience as moderator

TL;DR

This study explores how childhood emotional trauma affects social avoidance and distress in adolescents, with psychological resilience and left-behind experiences playing key roles.

Contribution

The study introduces a model showing how psychological resilience mediates and left-behind experience moderates the trauma-social distress relationship.

Findings

Childhood emotional trauma significantly predicts social avoidance and distress in adolescents.

Psychological resilience partially mediates the relationship between trauma and social distress.

Left-behind experience moderates the effect of psychological resilience on social avoidance and distress.

Abstract

Adolescents are navigating a critical phase of developmental transition, characterized by a profound need for interpersonal communication and mutual understanding. This study investigates the relationship between childhood emotional trauma and social avoidance and distress among junior high school students, with the goal of establishing effective interpersonal interaction patterns and fostering the healthy physical and mental development of adolescents.

A model was developed to examine the mediating role of psychological resilience in the relationship between childhood emotional trauma and social avoidance and distress, as well as the moderating role of left-behind experience within this mediating pathway. Data from 577 students were analyzed using SPSS 22.

(1) Childhood emotional trauma significantly and positively predicts social avoidance and distress; (2) psychological resilience mediates the relationship between childhood emotional trauma and social avoidance and distress; (3) left-behind experience moderates the association between psychological resilience and social avoidance and distress.

These findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of childhood trauma and its social consequences, while offering practical insights for addressing social avoidance and distress among junior high school students. The study also discusses its theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and potential directions for future research.

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