Examination of the relationship between adults' childhood traumas, attitudes toward seeking psychological help, and feelings of loneliness

This study meticulously investigated the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, and the feeling of loneliness in adults. The secondary aims explored whether participants' levels of childhood trauma, help-seeking attitudes, and loneliness varied significantly across demographic characteristics (age, gender, education level, and marital status). Utilizing a correlational survey design, the sample comprised 404 participants (253 women, 151 men), all aged 18 and over. The universe of the study consists of adult individuals aged 18 and over residing in Turkey. Data were collected via Google Forms using the Demographic Data Form, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale Short Form, and analyzed with SPSS 27.0. The findings revealed that individuals exposed to trauma in childhood developed more negative attitudes toward seeking psychological help in adulthood. Moreover, an increase in trauma severity was positively correlated with an increased feeling of loneliness. Crucially, the study also found that as individuals' attitudes toward seeking psychological help became less favorable, their feelings of loneliness intensified. The obtained results were discussed within the current literature, and recommendations for future studies were presented.