Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychological Adjustment: The Mediating Roles of Emotion Dysregulation and Social Media Addiction

Abstract

Psychological adjustment is one of the cornerstones of mental health and quality of life. Negative experiences in childhood are one of the main risk factors that threaten this adjustment. These experiences can lead to the development of different behavioral addictions by impairing individuals' emotion regulation abilities. This, in turn, can make the connection between childhood adverse experiences and psychological adjustment more intricate and multi-layered. Therefore, in this study, the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and psychological adjustment was examined within the framework of a serial mediation model that starts through emotion dysregulation and continues through social media addiction. A total of 306 (207 females, 99 males; Mage = 27.33 ± 9.45) adult volunteers participated in the study. The analysis showed that the serial mediation model was confirmed. The obtained results contributed to a deeper understanding of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and psychological adjustment. Moreover, the full mediation model showed that both emotion dysregulation and social media addiction are critical mechanisms in this relationship. Therefore, efforts to mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences, enhance emotion regulation skills, and reduce digital addictions can promote better psychological adjustment.

Keywords

• Adverse childhood experiences
• Emotions dysregulation
• Social media addiction
• Psychological adjustment
• Structural equation modeling

Çocukluk Çağı Olumsuz Yaşantıları ve Psikolojik Uyum: Duygu Düzenleme Güçlüğü ve Sosyal Medya Bağımlılığının Aracı Rolü

Abstract

Ruh sağlığı ve yaşam kalitesinin temel taşlarından biri psikolojik uyumdur. Çocukluk döneminde yaşanan olumsuz deneyimler ise bu uyumu tehdit eden başlıca risk etmenlerinden biridir. Söz konusu yaşantılar bireylerin duygu düzenleme kapasitelerini zayıflatarak beraberinde çeşitli davranışsal bağımlılıkların ortaya çıkışını tetikleyebilmektedir. Bu, çocukluk döneminde yaşanan olumsuz deneyimlerin psikolojik uyumla olan bağlantısını daha karmaşık ve çok katmanlı bir hale getirebilmektedir. Dolayısıyla bu araştırmada, çocukluk çağı olumsuz yaşantıları ve psikolojik uyum ilişkisi, duygu düzenleme güçlüğü üzerinden başlayıp sosyal medya bağımlılığı aracılığıyla devam eden seri aracılık modeli çerçevesinde incelenmiştir. Araştırmaya 306 (207 kadın, 99 erkek; Ort.yaş = 27.33 ± 9.45) gönüllü yetişkin katılmıştır. Analiz sonuçları seri aracı modelin doğrulandığını göstermektedir. Elde edilen sonuçlar çocukluk çağı olumsuz yaşantıları ve psikolojik uyum arasındaki ilişkiyi derinlemesine anlamaya yönelik katkılar sunmaktadır. Ayrıca tam aracı model hem duygu düzenleme güçlüğünün hem de sosyal medya bağımlılığının söz konusu ilişkide kritik mekanizmalar olduklarını göstermektedir. Dolayısıyla çocukluk çağı olumsuz yaşantılarının yol açtığı etkilerin hafifletilmesine, duygu düzenleme becerilerini güçlendirmeye ve dijital bağımlılıkları en aza indirmeye dair uygulamaların psikolojik uyumu destekleyebileceği söylenebilir.

Keywords

• Çocukluk çağı olumsuz yaşantıları
• Duygu düzenleme güçlüğü
• Sosyal medya bağımlılığı
• Psikolojik Uyum
• Yapısal eşitlik modellemesi

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