The effect of Attachment Trauma on Emotion Dysregulation: The Mediating Effects of Self-determined Motivation for Solitude and Mentalization

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of Self-determined Motivation for Solitude and Mentalization in the relationship between Attachment Trauma and Emotion Dysregulation. Methods A survey was conducted with 377 adults, and 360 valid responses were analyzed. The survey utilized the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Self-determined Motivation for Solitude Scale, the Mentalization Scale, and the Korean Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 27 and PROCESS Macro v4.1. Results First, significant correlations were found among Attachment Trauma, Self-determined Motivation for Solitude, Mentalization, and Emotion Dysregulation. Second, both Self-determined Motivation for Solitude and Mentalization partially mediated the relationship between Attachment Trauma and Emotion Dysregulation. Third, a sequential mediating effect of Self-determined Motivation for Solitude and Mentalization was found in the relationship between Attachment Trauma and Emotion Dysregulation. Conclusions The study suggests that, when considering simple mediation effects, Mentalization might have a more significant influence than Self-determined Motivation for Solitude in the relationship between Attachment Trauma and Emotion Dysregulation. Considering the dual mediation effects, it indicates that higher levels of Attachment Trauma in adults lead to lower Self-determined Motivation for Solitude, which in turn decreases Mentalization ability, resulting in increased Emotion Dysregulation.