Childhood Trauma and Dissociative Experiences: Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support among Adults

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Purpose: Childhood trauma or adverse childhood experiences including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, and witnessing violence, often evokes fear and disrupts a child's sense of safety. These experiences can have long-lasting effects on behavior and lifestyle, leading to mental health challenges such as dissociation. As a coping mechanism, dissociation helps individuals detach from overwhelming emotions but can impair daily functioning and quality of life. Despite extensive research on childhood trauma and dissociation, there is limited understanding of how perceived social support may aggravate these effects. Therefore, the present research aims to fill this gap by investigating whether perceived social support moderate the relationship between childhood trauma and dissociative experiences among adults. Material and Methods: The study hypothesized that higher levels of perceived social support will weaken the relationship between childhood trauma and dissociative experiences and vice versa. Using cross-sectional study design and convenience sampling, the data for the study was collected from adults of twin cities using self-report measures. The participants (N=262) were asked to fill Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (Bernstein et al., 2003), Dissociative Experiences Scale-II (Carlson & Putnam, 1993) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988). Findings: The data analysis revealed satisfactory reliability for all scales and subscales used in the study. It showed a positive correlation between childhood trauma and dissociative experiences, indicating that trauma exposure leads to dissociation. Multiple regression analysis identified emotional abuse and physical neglect as key predictors of dissociative experiences. Males from nuclear families reported higher neglect and abuse. Social support, especially from friends and significant others, was found to reduce the impact of trauma on dissociation, while family support had no effect. These findings emphasize the protective role of social support and will inform therapeutic interventions to address the long-term effects of childhood trauma and reduce dissociative symptoms, enhancing mental health and quality of life. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study contributes to theory by highlighting the moderating role of social support and emotional regulation in the relationship between childhood trauma and dissociation. It informs practice by suggesting targeted therapeutic interventions that enhance social support and emotional regulation to reduce dissociative symptoms. Additionally, the study has policy implications, emphasizing the integration of emotional regulation and support systems into mental health strategies to address the long-term effects of childhood trauma.