Experiential Avoidance as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Childhood Psychological Abuse and Current Mental Health Symptoms in College Students

Abstract

Psychological abuse in childhood has been linked to psychological distress in adulthood, although the interceding variables or possible mediators for the adult distress have not been adequately examined. Identification of mediating variables may provide important opportunities for targeting intervention and prevention efforts following psychological abuse. Experiential avoidance, a response style characterized by avoidance of negative private events, was examined as a potential mediator of the relationship between reports of childhood psychological abuse and current mental health symptoms in a cross-sectional sample of 987 college undergraduates. Utilizing structural equation modeling techniques, experiential avoidance was found to significantly mediate the relationship between childhood psychological abuse and current mental health symptoms, reducing the direct effect by 77%. A history of childhood psychological abuse was related to increased levels of experiential avoidance and current mental health symptoms, and experiential avoidance was also directly related to increased levels of current mental health symptoms. Implications for treatment following psychological abuse are discussed.

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