Childhood Trauma and Its Link to Adult Dissociation: The Role of Mentalizing and Disorganized Attachment in a Chinese Adult Sample

ABSTRACT

Based on previous findings in a U.S. sample, the present study validated the relationship between childhood trauma and dissociation, as well as the mediating role of disorganized attachment and the moderating role of mentalizing (i.e. self-concept clarity and reflective functioning) in a group of 569 Chinese adults (i.e. a community sample). Results demonstrated a mediating role for disorganized attachment relationships in linking childhood maltreatment and dissociative symptoms. Moreover, self-concept clarity moderated this mediating relationship. An interesting finding that differs from the U.S. sample is that reflective functioning did not play a moderating role between insecure attachment and dissociation in Chinese adults. Chinese culture places greater emphasis on collectivism, altruism, and other-oriented, and thus the protective effect of the reflective function may not be as effective as in an individualistic culture. This study provides evidence for a better understanding of the relationship between childhood trauma, attachment, dissociation, and the moderating role of mentalizing in an Eastern culture, and it opens the door to further research examining whether more Western (such as the U.S.) and Eastern (particularly Chinese) relationships are similar in both social and clinical psychology.

KEYWORDS:

• Childhood abuse
• attachment
• dissociation
• mentalizing
• Chinese culture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, Xiangping Liu ([email protected]). The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work.