Dagmara Mętel1, Aleksandra Arciszewska2, Artur Daren1, Dorota Frydecka3, Andrzej Cechnicki1, Łukasz Gawęda4. 1. Department of Community Psychiatry, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. 2. Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Sopot, Poland. Electronic address: aarciszewska@swps.edu.pl. 3. Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland. 4. Psychopathology and Early Intervention Lab, II Department of Psychiatry, The Medical University of Warsaw, Zabki, Poland. Electronic address: lgaweda@wum.edu.pl.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Early trauma is an important risk factor for depression. However, little is known about the mechanisms of how traumatic life events shape the risk of depression. The present study focused on the mediating role of cognitive biases and mental resilience between early trauma and depressive symptoms in young men and women. METHODS: 2218 non-clinical young adults completed an online Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI). It comprised selected items from several questionnaires including: a short version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D, five items) questionnaire, the Traumatic Experience Checklist (TEC, three items) and the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q, three items), a short version (nine items) of Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale (DACOBS-18), the abridged version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Parallel mediation analyses were performed. The role of gender was considered. RESULTS: A significant standardized indirect effect of childhood trauma on depressive symptoms through cognitive biases and resilience was found in the total sample. A standardized direct effect of childhood traumatic life events on depressive symptoms remained also significant, meaning that mediation is complementary. An analysis by gender showed similar results for women and men. LIMITATIONS: Sample was limited to non-clinical young adults. The questionnaires were shortened, and items were selected arbitrarily due to the nature of the study (online screening). The data may include biases resulting from the use of self-report scales. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive biases and resilience are important, but not exclusive, mechanisms of the relationship between early trauma and depressive symptoms.
BACKGROUND: Early trauma is an important risk factor for depression. However, little is known about the mechanisms of how traumatic life events shape the risk of depression. The present study focused on the mediating role of cognitive biases and mental resilience between early trauma and depressive symptoms in young men and women. METHODS: 2218 non-clinical young adults completed an online Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI). It comprised selected items from several questionnaires including: a short version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D, five items) questionnaire, the Traumatic Experience Checklist (TEC, three items) and the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire (CECA.Q, three items), a short version (nine items) of Davos Assessment of Cognitive Biases Scale (DACOBS-18), the abridged version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Parallel mediation analyses were performed. The role of gender was considered. RESULTS: A significant standardized indirect effect of childhood trauma on depressive symptoms through cognitive biases and resilience was found in the total sample. A standardized direct effect of childhood traumatic life events on depressive symptoms remained also significant, meaning that mediation is complementary. An analysis by gender showed similar results for women and men. LIMITATIONS: Sample was limited to non-clinical young adults. The questionnaires were shortened, and items were selected arbitrarily due to the nature of the study (online screening). The data may include biases resulting from the use of self-report scales. CONCLUSIONS:Cognitive biases and resilience are important, but not exclusive, mechanisms of the relationship between early trauma and depressive symptoms.