Research code: (IR.IAU.CTB.REC.1402.001)
Ethics code: (IR.IAU.CTB.REC.1402.001)
Clinical trials code: (IR.IAU.CTB.REC.1402.001)
, mahlafarokhzad@yahoo.com
Abstract: (479 Views)
Background & Aims: Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and can have a profound effect on an individual's ability to function and lead a productive life. It is also estimated by the WHO (2023) that 5% of the adult population worldwide suffers from this disorder (2). Therefore, the high prevalence of depression has led researchers to look at other related factors, including childhood trauma (3). Childhood is a very important time for our physical, mental, and social development. What we experience and what happens to us during this very sensitive time will be the foundation and root of our physical and mental health as we grow up and enter adulthood. Therefore, through childhood experiences we are building a path with very long term effects (4). Therefore, a trauma during this period can have negative consequences in life. It can cause a person to develop a negative or depressive cognitive style (5). Research shows that people who have experienced childhood trauma are twice as likely to develop depression in adulthood than those who have not been traumatized (6). There are several types of childhood trauma, the most important of which are emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and physical abuse, as well as emotional neglect and physical neglect. While the presence of traumatic events in childhood increases the risk of depression in adulthood, not all people who have such experiences show the same symptoms in adulthood (7). Other factors have also been found to play a mediating role between these two variables; for example, research shows that childhood trauma leads to a decrease in a person's level of mindfulness (8,9). In fact, traumatized people are very sensitive to the threat of danger. They feel that danger can occur at any time. As a result, they become dissociated from their current situation, their mindfulness is disturbed, and they experience negative psychological experiences, including depression (10). Several studies indicate a negative relationship between mindfulness and depression (11 - 14). Based on the definition of Ryan & Brown (2003), mindfulness is defined as a state of aroused attention and awareness of what is happening in the present moment, which allows a person to respond with thought and reflection, rather than reacting to events involuntarily and without reflection (15). Mindfulness skills also include the ability to observe, describe, and fully participate in one's actions in a nonjudgmental, mindful, and effective manner (16).Therefore, it is very important to have a better understanding of depression and the factors that influence this disorder. In this study, we examined mindfulness as a mediator between childhood trauma and depression.
Methods: The current research was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of this research was undergraduate and graduate students of Psychology and Law of Valiasr Complex of South Tehran Azad University studying in 1402-1401. For this purpose, 266 individuals were selected as the research sample group using a multistage random sampling method. The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II; Beck et al., 1996), the Mindfulness Scale (MAAS; Brown and Ryan, 2003), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ; Bernstein and Fink, 1998) were used for data collection were used.
Results: The results of this research showed that childhood trauma have a significant positive relationship with depression (P<0.01). Also, childhood trauma are negatively significant with mindfulness and depression (P<0.01). The model fit indices also confirmed the path from childhood trauma to depression with the mediating role of mindfulness.
Conclusion: This research was conducted to determine the mediating role of mindfulness in the relationship between childhood trauma and depression. The results of this research showed that childhood trauma had a significant negative relationship with mindfulness. This finding was consistent with previous research (8,9). In explaining this finding, it can be said that mindful people have a great ability to face a wide range of thoughts, emotions, and experiences (both pleasant and unpleasant) (15). Mindfulness is also a state in which people pay attention to the present and what is happening without judgment and without adding or subtracting any aspect of the experience, and they are aware of this attention and do not react to the experience (15), while childhood trauma can make a person very sensitive to possible future threats (27). In this situation, mindfulness allows a person to keep their focus on the present, and when they are aware of the present, they are no longer involved in the past or the future (28). The results of this study also showed that there was a significant positive relationship between childhood trauma and depression. This finding was consistent with previous studies (5, 29, 30). In explaining this finding, it can be said that childhood maltreatment causes the emergence of negative internal messages about oneself and events (31). Thus, in the future, the person feels that he deserves to be mistreated and concludes that his experiences are inevitable and caused by something negative in him. Over time, the person generalizes these negative conclusions to other events and incidents, eventually leading to the belief that negative events are inevitable; ultimately, this style of negative, general, and generalized attributions leads to people's vulnerability to depression (32). Another aspect of this research was the existence of a significant relationship between depression and mindfulness. This finding was consistent with previous studies (11, 12, 13, 14, 15). The possible explanation is that people who are more mindful are in a better psychological and quality of life state and experience less psychological and emotional turmoil (33). People with depressive disorders have cognitive biases and ineffective attitudes, and these attitudes and thoughts play an important role in the perpetuating of this disorder. Research shows that depression is associated with a tendency to selectively attend to negative information and cognitive biases with negative judgments and documents (34). Since mindfulness means receptive and nonjudgmental awareness of what is happening in the present moment (15), what makes a person psychologically vulnerable to depression is the mental conflict with past memories and possible future events. And since mindfulness is one of the skills that allows us to keep our focus in the present, when we are aware of the present, our attention is no longer involved with the past or the future (28). Finally, the results of this study showed that mindfulness plays a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and depression, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies (8, 9).It seems that childhood trauma can make a person more sensitive to possible future threats (27). and cause a wide range of adverse physical and psychological consequences, including depression (29). Depression is associated with a tendency to selectively attend to negative information, as well as cognitive biases with negative judgments and documents (34). While mindfulness is a state in which people pay attention to the present and what is happening without judging and without adding or subtracting any aspect of that experience (15), depressed people also exaggerate their failures and ignore their successes (34).Therefore, what makes a person psychologically vulnerable to depression is the mental conflict with past memories and possible future events. And since mindfulness is one of the skills that keeps people focused on the present, when a person is aware of the present, he is no longer involved in the past or the future (28). Of course, it is necessary to interpret the results of this research in light of its limitations: this research was cross-sectional in nature, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about cause. The statistical population of this research consisted of students, so its generalization to other population groups has some limitations. The present research is more of correlational type and requires the use of self-report tests, so the causal explanation of the results is not possible. Therefore, it is suggested to conduct this research with a longitudinal method. This study investigated the symptoms of depression in non-clinical population. Therefore, it is suggested that future research should be conducted in the clinical population suffering from depression. It is also suggested to conduct qualitative research in this area. In addition to these cases, holding workshops for training and prevention of childhood trauma and also teaching mindfulness skills, especially in groups with high levels of depression, is one of the suggestions of this research. The results of this study showed that mindfulness plays a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and depression, and these findings support the research hypothesis. Based on the results, increasing people's level of mindfulness can reduce the effect of childhood trauma on depression to some extent. Holding mindfulness workshops to train mindfulness skills, especially in groups with high levels of depression, as well as holding workshops to teach and prevent childhood trauma can reduce and prevent it from playing a role in depression.
Keywords: depression, childhood trauma, mindfulness
Ethical approval: The Ethics Committee of Azad Islamic University, Tehran-Central Branch, approved the study (IR.IAU.CTB.REC.1402.001).
Funding: This study did not have any funds.
Conflict of interest: None declared.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Clinical Psychiatry
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