Peer-reviewed article
The Correlations between Childhood Trauma, Sense of Coherence, and Social Adjustment: The Moderating Role of Emotional Schemas in At-Risk Adolescents.
Dabiri S, Ebrahimi Moghaddam H, Babakhani N ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines how childhood trauma affects sense of coherence and social adjustment in at-risk adolescents in Tehran, Iran. The research finds that emotional schemas play an important moderating role, helping to reduce the negative impact of trauma on adolescents' sense of coherence. The study surveyed 324 adolescents with risky behaviours referred to psychological counselling centres using validated questionnaires and structural equation modelling.
Key points
- Sense of coherence showed significant negative correlation with childhood trauma (β= -0.771, P<0.001)
- Emotional schemas had a significant moderating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and sense of coherence
- Sense of coherence's association with social adjustment was not statistically significant (β=0.064, P=0.158)
- Emotional schemas mitigated the negative impact of childhood trauma on sense of coherence
- Study population comprised adolescents with risky behaviours referred to psychological counselling centres
Limitations
The study used convenience sampling which may not be representative of all at-risk adolescents in Iran. The cross-sectional correlational design cannot establish causal relationships or determine whether emotional schemas are a cause or consequence of the observed associations.
Abstract
Background Childhood trauma often leads to maladaptive emotional schemas that affect social adjustment and self-compassion. This study aimed to investigate the correlation of childhood trauma with social adjustment and self-compassion, based on the moderating role of emotional schemas in adolescents with risky behaviors. Methods The present study employed a descriptive correlational design. The statistical population comprised all adolescents with risky behaviors who were referred to psychological counseling centers in Tehran, Iran, during 2024-2025. A total of 324 individuals were selected using convenience sampling based on the minimum sample size calculation for structural equation modeling. For data collection, we used the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-13), Adjustment Inventory (AI), Emotional Schema Scale (ESS-P), and Iranian Adolescent Risk-Taking Scale (IARS). Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics (demographic and variable descriptions) and inferential statistics (structural equation modeling) in SPSS version 27 and Smart PLS version 4. Results A sense of coherence showed a significant negative correlation with childhood trauma (β= -0.771, P<0.001) and a significant positive correlation with emotional schemas (β=0.119, P=0.009). However, a sense of coherence associated with social adjustment was not statistically significant (β=0.064, P=0.158). Additionally, emotional schemas had a significant role as a moderating variable in the correlation between childhood trauma and sense of coherence. Conclusions Emotional schemas mitigated the negative impact of childhood trauma on the sense of coherence in at-risk adolescents. Early adversity can diminish an adolescent's belief in life's comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness; emotional schemas are crucial in this context. Therefore, assessing the sense of coherence in high-risk adolescents necessitates considering both psychological vulnerabilities and protective factors.