The relationship between childhood traumas and dissociation: The mediator role of time perspective and emotion regulation

The aim of this study was to investigate the serial mediator role of time perspective and emotion regulation in the relationship between childhood traumas and dissociative experiences in a non-clinical sample. The data were gathered from 389 adult participants, including 223 females and 171 males, between 18-57 years of age and with a mean age of 32.82±7.84. The majority of the sample consisted of high school and college graduates (69.7%), employed (74.3%) and single (56.3%) individuals. All participants were applied Sociodemographic Information Form, Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-33), Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). The research data were analyzed with Independent Sample T-Test, One-way ANOVA, Pearson Correlation and Serial Mediation Analysis. Mediation analysis was performed in SPSS Process Macro by Hayes' method. The results of the study showed that dissociative experiences are higher in single, unemployed, and young people. It was observed that the history of sexual abuse was higher in females and physical neglect was higher in males, and single participants had more traumas in childhood than married ones. Females were more future-oriented than males, the time perspective was more balanced in married, and the past negative perspective is higher in unemployed participants. As age increased, the present hedonistic and past negative perspectives decreased. Emotion regulation difficulties were found to be higher in single, unemployed, and young individuals. Moreover, the results indicated that participants with multiple traumas had higher levels of dissociative experiences. Finally, serial mediation analysis revealed a serial mediator role of past negative and present fatalistic time perspective and difficulties in emotion regulation in the relationship between childhood traumas and dissociative experiences. Childhood traumas were associated with dissociative experiences in adulthood, and experiencing difficulties in emotion regulation, being stuck in the past and adopting a fatalistic approach in the present seemed to have an effect in this relationship.