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ERIC Number: ED638137
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 153
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3803-8770-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Combination of Childhood Trauma and COVID-19-Related Trauma: Do Coping and Resiliency Decrease the Harmful Effects?
James Howell
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The Florida State University
Childhood trauma has a pronounced effect on both children who have experienced trauma as well as adults who were exposed to trauma as children (Felitti et al., 1998). This sobering reality is even more pronounced for more vulnerable communities (HHS, 2018), such as people of color, women, individuals who identify as LBGTQ+, and individuals of lower socioeconomic status. Exposure to childhood trauma can result in a whole host of psychological as well as physiological effects Felitti et al., 1998; Giano et al., 2020; Sonu et al., 2020). While there exists research on the stand-alone topics of childhood trauma (e.g., type, proximity, duration; SAMHSA, 2020; Zare, et al., 2018) and collective trauma (i.e., natural disasters, terrorist attacks; Blanchet-Cohen & Nelems, 2013; Chriman et al., 2014),), minimal research exists on the subject of COVID-19-related trauma and the combination of pre-pandemic childhood trauma. The following study investigated the relationships between pre-pandemic childhood trauma and COVID-19-related trauma in adults during the pandemic while controlling for general mental health difficulties. Being that the pandemic is ongoing, the specific period examined in the current study was from the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, though when the data was collected in early 2022. The study also sought to explore if resiliency and coping had a moderating effect on the combination of these two types of trauma. A convenience sampling method using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk; www.MTurk.com) was utilized to recruit 127 adults, all over the age of 18, who had previously been exposed to at least one form of childhood trauma before the onset of the pandemic. The study sought to explore the following research questions: (1) Is childhood trauma related to current COVID-19-related trauma in adults during the pandemic, controlling for general mental health difficulties?, (2) Is childhood trauma related to peak COVID-19-related trauma in adults during the pandemic, controlling for general mental health difficulties?, (3) Do coping and resiliency moderate the relationship between childhood trauma and COVID-19-related trauma, controlling for general mental health difficulties? Assessment measures employed by the study include: Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ; Hooper et al., 2011), COVID Stress Scale (CSS; Taylor et al., 2020), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21; Lovibond et al., 1995), Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE; Carver, 1997), and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS; Smith et al., 2008). A path analysis was utilized to explore the relation between pre-pandemic childhood trauma, COVID-19 distress, coping, and resiliency. Results from the original research questions were not significant and will be discussed further in the results section. Furthermore, results from the final research question, focusing on whether resiliency and coping moderated the relationship pre-pandemic childhood trauma and COVID-19-related trauma, were inconclusive. Additional findings from the study found that both types of trauma were widespread amongst the research participants. Implications for psychological theory development, clinical practice, and possible directions for future research is discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A