Examination of the effects of mediator and moderater variables on the relationship between traumatic experiences and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Traumatic experiences can lead to various negative effects in people's lives, manifesting in different areas with diverse symptoms. Additionally, psychopathological symptoms such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can arise as a result of traumatic experiences and exhibit similar characteristics to the symptoms observed after such experiences, suggesting a possible association with externalizing disorders. Moreover, considering the impact of the developmental period adolescents are going through, these psychopathological symptoms may be misinterpreted as unique to this developmental stage, leading to a biased perspective on individuals. In this context, the research aims to highlight the significance of psychological, emotional, and cognitive components in the presence of OCD and ADHD symptoms in adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years concerning their relationship with trauma. Furthermore, the study seeks to evaluate the factors that may act as protective, moderator, mediator, or risk elements related to trauma in the context of OCD and ADHD. The research involved 794 participants and employed various tools for data collection, including Sociodemographic Characteristics and Data Form, DSM-5 Child Trauma Symptoms Severity Scale, Child Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Scale, Turgay Destructive Behavior Disorders Symptom Screening Scale, Self-Perception Scale for Adolescents, Social Support Evaluation Scale for Children and Adolescents, Cognitive Flexibility Scale, Emotion Regulation Scale for Adolescents, and Emotion Regulation Scale for Adolescents. Extensive data analysis was conducted with multiple methods. According to the research findings, self-perception, social support, cognitive flexibility, and both internal and external dysfunctional emotion regulation played a statistically significant mediator role in the relationship between trauma and OCD/ADHD symptoms. However, the type, number, and duration of trauma did not separately have a statistically significant moderator role in the relationship between trauma and OCD/ADHD symptoms. Furthermore, in the evaluation of research models- where trauma symptom levels identified as the predictive and OCD/ADHD symptom levels determined as the outcome variables- in which all the mediator effects and each moderator effect separately are examined together, just the duration of trauma (since the trauma) showed a significant interaction with ADHD only which is the predicted variable across the research models. The contribution of this study lies in recognizing the determining influence of traumatic life events and trauma symptom levels in the treatment of adolescents with OCD and ADHD. It emphasizes the importance of considering mediator and moderator mental health variables in these relationships. Keywords: Traumatic Experience, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Mediator Variables, Moderator Variables.