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. 2018 Jan 1:225:326-336.
doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.08.039. Epub 2017 Aug 31.

Effects of traumatic experiences on obsessive-compulsive and internalizing symptoms: The role of avoidance and mindfulness

Emily B Kroska  1 , Michelle L Miller  2 , Anne I Roche  2 , Sydney K Kroska  2 , Michael W O'Hara  2
Affiliations

Effects of traumatic experiences on obsessive-compulsive and internalizing symptoms: The role of avoidance and mindfulness

Emily B Kroska et al. J Affect Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Trauma exposure is associated with adverse psychological outcomes including anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. Adolescence is increasingly recognized as a period of vulnerability for the onset of these types of psychological symptoms. The current study explored the mediating roles of experiential avoidance and mindfulness processes in the association between retrospective reports of childhood trauma and current internalizing and OC symptoms in adolescents.

Method: A group of at-risk adolescents (N = 51) and a group of college students (N = 400) reported on childhood trauma, experiential avoidance, mindfulness, anxiety, depressive, and OC symptoms. Mediation analyses were performed to examine the mechanistic roles of avoidance and mindfulness in the association between trauma and internalizing and OC-specific symptoms.

Results: In the group of at-risk adolescents, experiential avoidance and mindfulness both significantly mediated the association between childhood trauma and OC symptoms. In the college student sample, experiential avoidance mediated the association between trauma and OC symptoms. Experiential avoidance, as well as the observe, act with awareness, and nonjudgmental facets of mindfulness all significantly mediated the association between trauma and internalizing symptoms.

Limitations: The group of at-risk adolescents was small, and the college student group was demographically homogeneous. All data was self-report and cross-sectional.

Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that experiential avoidance and mindfulness processes may be the mechanisms through which the association between trauma and obsessive-compulsive and trauma and internalizing symptoms exist in adolescents. These findings provide potential targets for clinical intervention to improve outcomes for adolescents who have experienced trauma.

Keywords: Experiential avoidance; Internalizing; Mindfulness; Obsessive-compulsive; Trauma.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
a: Unstandardized coefficients for association between previous trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, as mediated by experiential avoidance in adolescent sample b: Unstandardized coefficients for association between previous trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, as mediated by mindfulness in adolescent sample * = p < .05, ** = p < .01, c = CI does not include zero Previous Traumatic Experiences = ETISR-SF Score Experiential Avoidance = AAQ-II Score Mindfulness = CAMM-10 Score OC symptoms = OCIR-R Score
Figure 2
Figure 2
a: Unstandardized coefficients for association between previous trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, as mediated by experiential avoidance in college student sample b: Unstandardized coefficients for association between previous trauma and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, as mediated by observe facet of mindfulness in college student sample * = p < .05, ** = p < .01, c = CI does not include zero Previous Traumatic Experiences = ETISR-SF Score Experiential Avoidance = AAQ-II Score Observe = FFMQ Observe Score OC symptoms = OCIR-R Score
Figure 3
Figure 3
a: Unstandardized coefficients for association between previous trauma and internalizing symptoms, as mediated by experiential avoidance in college student sample b: Unstandardized coefficients for association between previous trauma and internalizing symptoms, as mediated by observe, nonjudgment, and act with awareness facets of mindfulness in college student sample * = p < .05, ** = p < .01, c = CI does not include zero Previous Traumatic Experiences = ETISR-SF Score Experiential Avoidance = AAQ-II Score Observe = FFMQ Observe Score Nonjudgment = FFMQ Nonjudgment Score Act with Awareness = FFMQ Act with Awareness Score Internalizing Symptoms = GAD-7 and PHH-9 Internalizing Composite Factor Score
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