The effect of childhood trauma and resilience on psychopathology in adulthood: Does bullying moderate the associations?

BACKGROUND

Exposure to traumatic events in childhood, including bullying, can negatively affect physical and mental health in adulthood. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of bullying in different sociodemographic groups of the Slovak Republic and to assess the moderating effect of bullying on the associations between childhood trauma, resilience, and the later occurrence of psychopathology.

METHODS

For the analyses, a representative sample of the population of the Slovak Republic was used (N = 1018, mean age 46.24 years, 48.7% of men). Multivariate linear regression models were used to investigate the predictive ability of childhood trauma (The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ) and resilience (The Brief Resilience Scale, BRS) to explain psychopathology (The Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI-53). Bullying (The Adverse Childhood Experiences - International Questionnaire, ACE-IQ) was used as a moderator.

RESULTS

In total, 13.5% of respondents have experienced bullying. The most common form of bullying was making fun of someone because of how their body or face looked (46.7%) and excluding someone from activities or ignoring them (36.5%). Higher scores in all types of psychopathology and the Global Severity Index (GSI) were significantly associated with higher scores of emotional and sexual abuse, and some of them with physical neglect. The protective effect of resilience was moderated by bullying in several types of psychopathology, specifically in somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, psychoticism, and the GSI.

CONCLUSION

Understanding the links between childhood trauma, bullying, and later psychopathology can help professionals target policies, resources, and interventions to support children and families at risk. Every child should feel accepted and safe at home and school.

Posttraumatic Growth and Its Measurement: A Closer Look at the PTGI’s Psychometric Properties and Structure

Despite negative connotations, surviving trauma can result in improvements in some domains of a person’s life. This phenomenon is known as posttraumatic growth (PTG), and it is typically measured using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Given the ambiguous results of the existing validation studies, the present study aimed to verify the psychometric properties of the Slovak version of the PTGI in a representative sample of Slovak citizens. Although the results suggest that a modified one-factor structure fit the data best, other issues, such as extremely high correlations between the latent factors related to the PTGI’s factor structure, were observed. It is likely that the application of the latent variable model does not represent the essence of PTG adequately and the network approach thus appears to be a far more suitable conceptualization of PTG. More detailed information on between-person differences and within-person changes in PTG could help to tailor more effective interventions or preventive programs.

Validation of the 14-item short form of the Slovak version of the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Questionnaire

Aims. The attachment formed in early childhood affects an individual’s mental and physical health. The aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Slovak version of the ECR-R questionnaire designed to detect attachment in adulthood, to create a shorter version, and to examine the sociodemographic differences in anxiety and avoidance among Slovak respondents. Sample, settings, and methods. In a cross-sectional study with a representative sample of the adult Slovak population (N=1018, age 46.24, SD 16.56, 48.7% men), data were collected using the Slovak translation of the ECR-R questionnaire. The Slovak version of the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) was used to assess the convergence validity. Results. The data of the psychometric analysis of the shortened version of the Close Relationship Questionnaire, the ECR-R-SK-14, indicate its better suitability for measuring relationship in adulthood compared to the ECR-R-16 version. Convergent validity was confirmed. Sociodemographic differences in individual groups of the Slovak population, which were expanded to include subjectively perceived loneliness in the last year of life, were described. Summary. The ECR-R questionnaire and its shorter version, the ECR-R-SK-14, are suitable tools for measuring relationships in adulthood, whether scientific or clinical. Limitations. The complete version of the ECR-R questionnaire can be difficult for some respondents to understand due to a large number of reversely formulated questions.

Validation of a 16-Item Short Form of the Czech Version of the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised Questionnaire in a Representative Sample

The aim of this study was to create a shorter Czech version (ECR-R-16) of the Revised Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR-R) questionnaire and to assess its psychometric properties. Data from a representative sample of the Czech population from 15 to 90 years old (N = 1000, M age = 46.0 years, SD = 17.3) were collected using a face-to-face structured interview in 2014. The developed short form of the Czech version of the ECR-R showed good internal consistency (alphas varied from .84 to .90), and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses replicated the two-dimensional model. The results also demonstrated concurrent validity with measures of neuroticism, self-esteem, and positive and negative affect. People living with a partner and people with higher educational levels had significantly lower Avoidance scores than people living alone and people with lower educational levels. It was concluded that the ECR-R-16 questionnaire has good psychometric properties and is a valid assessment method in the Czech cultural context, suitable for research and clinical studies, when the shorter form of a measure is desirable.