Anxiety as a Mediator Between Childhood Trauma and Social Competence Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to examine anxiety as a statistical mediator of the association between childhood trauma and social competence among adolescents and young adults. It also aimed to examine whether the proposed model varies across adolescents and young adults. Methods The study sample consisted of 300 participants, including adolescents (n=150) and young adults (n=150). Participants were recruited through purposive sampling from educational institutions and community settings in the Sargodha District. The age range of the patients was limited to 15–30 years. A cross-sectional survey design was employed. The translated versions of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and Social Competence Scale were used to assess anxiety, childhood trauma, and social competence, respectively. Maximum likelihood estimation in IBM SPSS Amos was used to test the proposed statistical mediation model. Results The results indicated that childhood trauma was positively associated with anxiety and negatively associated with social competence among adolescents and young adults. Anxiety statistically mediated the association between childhood trauma and social competence, suggesting a significant but small indirect association rather than a causal pathway. Given the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as associations and not as evidence of temporal or causal relationships. Exploratory multigroup analyses suggested that structural associations may differ across age groups, with comparatively stronger associations observed among adolescents. However, because formal measurement invariance has not been established, these between-group differences should be interpreted with caution. Conclusion The results highlight the importance of the early identification of trauma-related anxiety and the need for school-, university-, and community-based interventions that strengthen emotional regulation, coping skills, and social competence.