The Mediator Role of Emotional Awareness and Expression in the Relationship between Childhood Traumas and Post-Traumatic Growth

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.7 Issue.2

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.25.2.06

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

The Mediator Role of Emotional Awareness and Expression in the Relationship between Childhood Traumas and Post-Traumatic Growth

Çocukluk Çağı Travmalarının Travma Sonrası Büyüme ile İlişkisinde Duygu Farkındalığı ve İfade Etmenin Aracı Rolü

Burcu Türk¹

Abstract:

This study examines the mediating role of emotional awareness and emotional expression in the relationship between childhood traumas and posttraumatic growth. Trauma is a challenging experience that can leave serious psychological and physical effects on an individual’s life. Childhood traumas include physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. Such traumas can negatively affect the psychosocial functionality of individuals, but in some cases, they can also lead to positive changes called posttraumatic growth. Within the scope of the study, online questionnaires were applied to 339 participants aged 18-65. Data were collected using the Childhood Traumas Scale, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, the Expressing Emotions Scale, and the Emotional Self-Awareness Scale-10. The findings showed that childhood traumas generally had a negative relationship with posttraumatic growth. Emotional self-awareness was found to positively affect posttraumatic growth and play a partial mediating role in this process. However, the ability to express emotions did not significantly predict posttraumatic growth. This suggests that structured practices such as psychoeducation programs, group work, or individual therapeutic interventions aimed at enhancing emotional awareness may help reduce the negative effects of traumatic experiences and support the recovery process. In particular, such interventions may be beneficial in enhancing psychological resilience among individuals with a history of childhood trauma.

Keywords: Childhood trauma, Post traumatic growth, Emotional awareness, Emotional self-awareness, Expressing emotions, Emotional processes, Mediating role.

¹Assoc. Prof., Istanbul Kültür University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, İstanbul, Türkiye, E-mail: [email protected], Orcid Id: 0000-0003-3290-5886

Address of Correpondence/Yazışma Adresi: Burcu Türk, İstanbul Kültür University, Bakırköy Campus, Ataköy Building, On the E5 Karayolu, Bakırköy 34158 İstanbul, E-mail: [email protected]

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 06.01.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 05.05.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 12.05.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 05.06.2025

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Türk, B. (2025). The Mediator Role of Emotional Awareness and Expression in the Relationship between Childhood Traumas and Post-Traumatic Growth. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 7(2), 158-168.

© 2025 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/