Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.5 Issue.4

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.23.4.02

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

Investigation of Childhood Traumas, Emotion Regulation Processes and Dissociation as Predictives of Social Anxiety

Sosyal Kaygının Yordayıcısı olarak Çocukluk Çağı Travmaları, Duygu Düzenleme Süreçleri ve Dissosiyasyonun İncelenmesi

Elif Yöyen1, İrem Akyüz Çaylak2

Abstract:

The aim of this study is to examine the predictors of childhood traumas, emotion regulation processes and dissociation in terms of social anxiety. 451 participants between the ages of 18-55 were included in the study, in which the relational screening model and snowball sampling method were used. Data were collected using Demographic Information Form, Childhood Trauma Scale, Emotion Regulation Processes Scale, Dissociative Experiences Scale and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Simple linear regression, multiple regression and hierarchical regression analyzes were applied for the analyses. As a result of the analysis, the increase in the antecedent-focused emotion regulation processes, which is the sub-dimension of emotion regulation processes, caused a decrease in social anxiety symptoms (R2=0.027, F=6.208, p=0.002); it was determined that the increase in absorption, which is the sub-dimension of dissociative experiences, causes an increase in social anxiety symptoms (R2=0.059, F=9.409, p=0.001). In the hierarchical regression analysis, it was determined that childhood traumas (β = 0.271) and dissociative experiences (β = 0.291) had a positive effect on social anxiety, while emotion regulation processes (β =-0.144) had a negative effect. In addition, the rate of explaining social anxiety by childhood traumas alone (R2=0.020); the ratio of childhood traumas and dissociative experiences to explain social anxiety (R2=0.056); the coexistence of childhood traumas, dissociative experiences and emotion regulation processes explained social anxiety as high (R2=0.067). When the findings are used both in the structuring of psychotherapies in clinical studies and in the structuring of health policies to protect community mental health, they can be helpful in the formation and/or treatment of social anxiety.

Keywords: Social Anxiety, Childhood Traumas, Emotion Regulation, Dissociation

1Assoc. Prof., Sakarya University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Sakarya- Türkiye, [email protected], Orcid id:  0000-0002-0539-9263

2Specialist Clinical Psychologist, Marmara University Institute of Social Sciences, İstanbul- Türkiye, [email protected], Orcid id: ‪ 0000-0002-1344-1417

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Elif Yöyen, Sakarya University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Sakarya- Türkiye, [email protected]

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 11.04.2023, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 24.07.2023, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 17.10.2023, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 15.12.2023

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Yöyen, E. & Akyüz, İ. (2023). Investigation of Childhood Traumas, Emotion Regulation Processes and Dissociation as Predictives of Social Anxiety. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 5(4): 303-312

© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/