Predicting Childhood Trauma Based on the Unconscious with the Mediating Role of Alexithymia in Adults with Social Anxiety Attending Counseling Centers in Tehran

Faraz  Ghoorchian

doi:10.61838/kman.jarac.3414

Authors

Faraz Ghoorchian * Master's Degree, Positive Psychology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran farazghoorchian@gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.jarac.3414

Keywords:

Childhood Trauma, Unconscious, Alexithymia, Social Anxiety

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to predict childhood trauma based on the unconscious with the mediating role of Alexithymia in adults with social anxiety attending counseling centers in Tehran.

Methods and Materials: The research method was fundamental in aim and descriptive-correlational in design. The study population included all adults with social anxiety attending counseling centers in Tehran. Samples were selected from Tehran through a non-probabilistic and purposeful method. Considering the number of observed variables and allocating a coefficient of 15 for each observed variable, 240 individuals were chosen as the sample size. The data collection tools were the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire by Bernstein et al. (1988), the Alexithymia Scale by Bagby et al. (1994), and the Unconscious Awareness Questionnaire by Bell (2000). Data analysis was conducted using Pearson correlation coefficient analysis and structural equation modeling. SPSS-24 and AMOS-26 software were used for data analysis.

Findings: The results showed that the indirect relationship of the unconscious to childhood trauma through Alexithymia is significant at β=0.24 and p≤0.05. It can also be said that since the zero is not included in the upper and lower limit range, Alexithymia plays a mediating role in the relationship between the unconscious and childhood trauma.

Conclusion: Considering the theoretical validation of the research findings, health and treatment specialists are advised to develop educational and therapeutic programs for individuals with symptoms of social anxiety at the clinical level.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmadi, M. (2017). Predicting Depression Symptoms and Emotional Schemas by Childhood Trauma in Adolescents Shahed University]. https://cpap.shahed.ac.ir/author.index?vol=0&vl=%D9%87%D9%85%D9%87%20%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%87%20%D9%87%D8%A7

Aloisi, A. (2023). Unconscious in Philosophy. In The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible (pp. 1697-1702). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90913-0_166

Bagby, R. M., Parker, J. D., & Taylor, G. J. (1994). The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale-I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. Journal of psychosomatic research, 38(1), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(94)90005-1

Bell, D. (2017). Unconscious phantasy: Some historical and conceptual dimensions. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 98(3), 785-798. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-8315.12586

Benzi, I. M. A., Milesi, A., & Parolin, L. A. L. (2023). Unconscious in Psychology. In The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible (pp. 1702-1709). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90913-0_162

Berenz, E. C., Vujanovic, A., Rappaport, L. M., Kevorkian, S., Gonzalez, R. E., Chowdhury, N., & et al. (2018). A multimodal study of childhood trauma and distress tolerance in young adulthood. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 27(7), 795-810. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2017.1382636

Besharat, M. A. (2013). Toronto Alexithymia Scale: Questionnaire, instruction and scoring (Persian version). Journal of Developmental Psychology, 10(37), 90-92. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-14154-004

Crişan, L. G., Vulturar, R., Miclea, M., & Miu, A. C. (2016). Reactivity to social stress in subclinical social anxiety: emotional experience, cognitive appraisals, behavior, and physiology. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 7, 147481. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00005

Darjazini, S., & Moradkhani, M. (2017). The relationship between marital satisfaction and alexithymia. Journal of Ecophysiology and Occupational Health, 17(3/4), 124-135. https://www.informaticsjournals.com/index.php/JEOH/article/view/19837

Dekel, B., Abrahams, N., & Andipatin, M. (2018). Exploring adverse parent-child relationships from the perspective of convicted child murderers: A South African qualitative study. PLoS One, 13(5), e0196772. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196772

Detmar, C. F. (2023). The Development of Cognition in the Interaction of Conscious and Unconscious Minds. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 30(1-2), 110-137. https://doi.org/10.53765/20512201.30.1.110

Ebrahimi, H., Dejkam, M., & Seghatoleslam, T. (2014). Childhood traumas and suicide attempt in adulthood. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, 19(4), 275-282. https://ijpcp.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_id=2090&sid=1&slc_lang=faس

Ebrahimi, H., Dejkam, M., & Yousefi, S. (2013). Relationship between childhood traumas and attachment styles with suicidal behavior in women referred to Loghman Hakim Hospital in comparison with the general population. Cultural-Educational Quarterly of Women and Family, 7(23), 47-69. https://ensani.ir/fa/article/343285/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B7%D9%87-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%DA%A9%D9%88%D8%AF%DA%A9%DB%8C-%D9%88-%D8%B3%D8%A8%DA%A9-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B3%D8%AA%DA%AF%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%AF%DA%A9%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%B9%D9%87-%DA%A9%D9%86%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84%D9%82%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AD%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%85-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B3%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%88%D9%85%DB%8C

Fietz, J., Valencia, N., & Silani, G. (2018). Alexithymia and autistic traits as possible predictors for traits related to depression, anxiety, and stress: A multivariate statistical approach. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 24(4), 901-908. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.12961

Gamache Martin, C., Van Ryzin, M. J., & Dishion, T. J. (2016). Profiles of childhood trauma: Betrayal, frequency, and psychological distress in late adolescence. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 8(2), 206-213. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000095

Goetter, E. M., Frumkin, M. R., Palitz, S. A., Swee, M. B., Baker, A. W., Bui, E., & Simon, N. M. (2020). Barriers to mental health treatment among individuals with social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Psychological Services, 17(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000254

Goodman, F. R., Kelso, K. C., Wiernik, B. M., & Kashdan, T. B. (2021). Social comparisons and social anxiety in daily life: An experience-sampling approach. Journal of abnormal psychology, 130(5), 468. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000671

Hadi Nejad, H., Tabatabaeyan, M., & Dehghani, M. (2014). Preliminary Examination of the Validity and Reliability of Bell's Object Relations and Reality Testing Questionnaire. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology (Thought and Behavior), 20(2), 162-169. https://www.sid.ir/paper/17110/fa

Hatcher, A. M., Gibbs, A., Jewkes, R., McBride, R. S., Peacock, D., & Christofides, N. (2018). Effect of childhood poverty and trauma on adult depressive symptoms among young men in peri-urban South African settlements. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(1), 79-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.07.026

Hopfinger, L., Berking, M., Bockting, C. L., & Ebert, D. D. (2016). Emotion regulation mediates the effect of childhood trauma on depression. Journal of affective disorders, 198, 189-197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.03.050

Hosseinzade Khanmiri, B., Shalchi, B., & Bafande Gheramalki, H. (2017). Explain the effects of child abuse on addiction. Contemporary psychology, 12, 569-572.

Huh, H. J., Kim, K. H., Lee, H. K., & Chae, J. H. (2017). The relationship between childhood trauma and the severity of adulthood depression and anxiety symptoms in a clinical sample: The mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Journal of affective disorders, 213, 44-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.02.009

Hur, J., DeYoung, K. A., Islam, S., Anderson, A. S., Barstead, M. G., & Shackman, A. J. (2020). Social context and the real-world consequences of social anxiety. Psychological medicine, 50(12), 1989-2000. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291719002022

Khademi, M., Hajiahmadi, M., & Faramarzi, M. (2019). The role of long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in improving attachment patterns, defense styles, and alexithymia in patients with depressive/anxiety disorders. Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 41(1), 43-50. https://doi.org/10.1590/2237-6089-2017-0144

Kirk, A., Meyer, J. M., Whisman, M. A., Deacon, B. J., & Arch, J. J. (2019). Safety behaviors, experiential avoidance, and anxiety: A path analysis approach. Journal of anxiety disorders, 64, 9-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.03.002

Koyuncu, A., İnce, E., Ertekin, E., & Tükel, R. (2019). Comorbidity in social anxiety disorder: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Drugs in context, 8. https://doi.org/10.7573/dic.212573

Leichsenring, F., & Leweke, F. (2017). Social anxiety disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 376(23), 2255-2264. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMcp1614701

Li, M., D'Arcy, C., & Meng, X. (2016). Maltreatment in childhood substantially increases the risk of adult depression and anxiety in prospective cohort studies: systematic review, meta-analysis, and proportional attributable fractions. Psychological medicine, 46, 717-730. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291715002743

Liu, J., Deng, J., Zhang, H., & Tang, X. (2023). The relationship between child maltreatment and social anxiety: a meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, 329, 157-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.081

Marchi, L., Marzetti, F., Orru, G., Lemmetti, S., Miccoli, M., Ciacchini, R., & et al. (2019). Alexithymia and psychological distress in patients with fibromyalgia and rheumatic disease. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1735. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01735

Newell, B. R., & Shanks, D. R. (2023). Open Minded: Searching for Truth About the Unconscious Mind. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/14922.001.0001

Pournaghash-Tehrani, S. S., & Amini-Tehrani, M. (2018). The impact of adverse experiences in childhood relationships on the mental health of university students. Iran Journal of Health Education and Health Promotion, 7(2), 231-244. https://doi.org/10.30699/ijhehp.7.2.231

Priya, S. S., & Jain, D. (2021). The potentials of subconscious mind. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. https://doi.org/10.32628/IJSRSET21811

Quide, Y., Girshkin, L., Watkeys, O. J., Carr, V. J., & Green, M. (2021). The relationship between cortisol reactivity and emotional brain function is differently moderated by childhood trauma, in bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and healthy individuals. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 271(6), 1089-1109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-020-01190-3

Sejersen, M. F. (2023). Calls from the Unconscious. In Unconscious Intelligence in Cybernetic Psychology (pp. 188-202). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003360247-13

Spinazzola, J., Van der Kolk, B., & Ford, J. D. (2018). When nowhere is safe: Interpersonal trauma and attachment adversity as antecedents of posttraumatic stress disorder and developmental trauma disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31(5), 631-642. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22320

Van Niekerk, R. E., Klein, A. M., Allart-van Dam, E., Hudson, J. L., Rinck, M., Hutschemaekers, G. J., & Becker, E. S. (2017). The role of cognitive factors in childhood social anxiety: Social threat thoughts and social skills perception. Cognitive therapy and research, 41, 489-497. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-016-9821-x

Versella, M. V., Piccirillo, M. L., Potter, C. M., Olino, T. M., & Heimberg, R. G. (2016). Anger profiles in social anxiety disorder. Journal of anxiety disorders, 37, 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2015.10.008

Warach, B., Josephs, L., & Gorman, B. S. (2018). Pathways to infidelity: The roles of self-serving bias and betrayal trauma. Journal of sex & marital therapy, 44(5), 497-512. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2017.1416434

Yumbul, C., Cavusoglu, S., & Geyimci, B. (2010). The effect of childhood trauma on adult attachment styles, infidelity tendency, romantic jealousy and self-esteem. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 5, 1741-1745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.357

Zhang, I. Y., Powell, D. M., & Bonaccio, S. (2022). The role of fear of negative evaluation in interview anxiety and social‐evaluative workplace anxiety. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 30(2), 302-310. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12365