The moderator role of cultural orientation in the relationship between positive and adverse childhood experiences and personality disorder psychopathology level on adulthood: A crosscultural study

As childhood adversities are risk factors for personality psychopathology, studies show that positive childhood experiences reduce the personality psychopathology level. Although it is known that culture and cultural orientation have an impact on personality psychopathology, there is yet no study on the role of these factors in the relationship between childhood experiences and personality psychopathology. Therefore, the current study aims to cross-culturally examine the moderator role of cultural orientation in this relationship. To investigate this, firstly, the Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) Scale, which does not have a Japanese form, was translated into Japanese, and the scale's psychometric properties were examined in a sample of 300 participants. After it was seen that the BCEs Scale could be used as a valid and reliable scale, 975 participants aged 18-65 from Turkey (n=482) and Japan (n=493) were recruited for the main study. In this study, "BCEs Scale " and "Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale" were used to evaluate childhood experiences, "SCID-5-SPQ" was used to evaluate personality psychopathology, and the Self-Construal Scale was used to evaluate cultural orientation. After correlation analysis, the effect of childhood experience patterns and culture on personality psychopathology was examined with two-way MANOVA. Then, the role of culture and cultural orientation in the relationship between childhood experiences and personality psychopathology was tested using double moderation analyses. Results showed that positive childhood experiences were negatively, but adverse childhood experiences were positively associated with personality psychopathology level. Also, it was found that the relationship between childhood experience patterns and the level of personality psychopathology differed according to culture. The results of the double moderation analyses indicated that the moderator role of culture and cultural orientation in the relationship between childhood experiences and personality psychopathology level was significant, and that the individual's level of individualism or collectivism and the culture may increase or decrease certain levels of personality psychopathology.