Childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in college students: the mediating role of fear of happiness

These findings indicate that fear of happiness functions as a key psychological mechanism connecting childhood trauma to depressive symptomatology in college students. The divergent patterns across trauma subtypes highlight the importance of differentiating trauma experiences in both theoretical models and clinical interventions. Specifically, emotional neglect may be linked to adaptive emotional suppression processes, such as numbing, which could have implications for treatment planning. These results support the development of cognitive-behavioral interventions targeting fear of happiness as a promising strategy for preventing and reducing depressive symptoms in individuals with a history of adversity in early life. Given the cross-sectional design, causal conclusions cannot be definitively drawn, and future longitudinal or prospective studies are warranted to establish temporal and causal relationships between these variables.