The Relationship between Childhood Trauma and Depressive Symptoms in Old Age: The Mediating Effects of Experiential Avoidance and Loneliness

Childhood trauma can have a variety of negative psychological effects throughout the lifespan. The most notable effects include experiential avoidance, increased loneliness, and the onset or intensification of depressive symptoms in later life. This study aimed to verify whether the trauma directly influences depressive symptoms in old age, and whether experiential avoidance and loneliness resulting from the trauma lead to the depressive symptoms. The study participants consisted of 200 men and women aged 65 and older who experienced attachment trauma from their caregivers during childhood. The research data were collected through an online questionnaire of scales measuring childhood trauma, depression, experiential avoidance, and loneliness. The mediating effects of experiential avoidance and loneliness in the relationship between childhood trauma and late-life depressive symptoms were analyzed using Hayes’ Process Macro. The main finding was that childhood trauma did not directly affect on depressive symptoms in late life. However, the trauma had an indirect effect on the symptoms through experiential avoidance as a mediating variable. Furthermore, it was confirmed that experiential avoidance resulting from the trauma intensified feelings of loneliness, which subsequently influenced the symptoms. The findings suggest guidelines for preventing the long-term aftereffects of the trauma that can have negative effects in later life. In other words, preventing depression in older adults with the trauma would be an intervention for the problems of experiential avoidance and loneliness. To address this, specific intervention strategies such as improving communication skills and strengthening social support systems were emphasized.