Past Trauma and Current Stress and Coping: Toward a General Model

ABSTRACT

Studies find trauma to both sensitize and steel its victims to subsequent stress, but results are specific to certain populations, traumas, or indices of stress and coping. Here, a general population sample (N = 255) completed comprehensive measures of trauma, stress, and coping to suggest a general model of their relationships. Regressions showed childhood—but not lifetime—trauma linked to avoidant coping and greater stress, indicating a partial mediation model. Structural equation modeling (SEM) verified that childhood trauma predicted adult stress both directly and through avoidance. Limitations of present methods, and suggestions for continuing the development of a general trauma-coping-stress model, are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Avoidance
• coping
• stress
• stress overload
• trauma

Additional information

Notes on contributors

James H. Amirkhan

James H. Amirkhan is a professor of Personality in the Psychology Department of California State University at Long Beach. His work focuses on individual differences that impact stress and health. In the course of this work, he has authored measures of coping (CSI) and stress overload (SOS).

Michelle Marckwordt

Michelle Marckwordt is a graduate student in the Masters in Psychological Research program at California State University at Long Beach. She is interested in the mechanisms linking early life experiences to later pathology. This article is based on her thesis research.