The mediation of automatic thoughts and self-compassion in the relationship between childhood traumas and mental well-being

This study was conducted to examine the serial mediating role of automatic thoughts and self-compassion in predicting mental well-being by childhood traumas in adults. A total of 445 individuals (301 women and 144 men) between the ages of 18-65 participated in the study. Data was collected using Personal Information Form, Warwick-Edinburg Mental Well-Being Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Automatic Thoughts Scale and Self-Compassion Scale. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the variables using the SPSS 26.0 program. The relationships between the variables were examined by path analysis using the 6th model of the PROCESS macro application. According to the analyzes, automatic thoughts and self-compassion play significant serial mediating roles between childhood traumas and mental well-being. In addition, childhood traumas significantly predicted mental well-being through automatic thoughts, but not through self-compassion. These findings were discussed in relation to previous researches and recommendations were made. Keywords: Mental Well-Being, Childhood Traumas, Automatic Thoughts, Self-compassion