Self-compassion and avoidant coping as mediators of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental health and alcohol use in young adulthood

Lucinda Grummitt; Erin V Kelly; Nicola C Newton; Lexine Stapinski; Siobhan Lawler; Katrina Prior; Emma L Barrett

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106534

Self-compassion and avoidant coping as mediators of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental health and alcohol use in young adulthood

Child Abuse Negl. 2023 Nov 7:106534. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106534. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lucinda Grummitt¹, Erin V Kelly², Nicola C Newton³, Lexine Stapinski⁴, Siobhan Lawler⁵, Katrina Prior⁶, Emma L Barrett⁷

Affiliations

¹ The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Camperdown 2006, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: lucinda.grummitt@sydney.edu.au.
² The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Camperdown 2006, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: erin.kelly@sydney.edu.au.
³ The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Camperdown 2006, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: nicola.newton@sydney.edu.au.
⁴ The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Camperdown 2006, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: lexine.stapinski@sydney.edu.au.
⁵ The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Camperdown 2006, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: siobhan.lawler@sydney.edu.au.
⁶ The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Camperdown 2006, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: katrina.prior@sydney.edu.au.
⁷ The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Camperdown 2006, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: emma.barrett@sydney.edu.au.

PMID: 37945423
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106534

Abstract

Background: Exposure to childhood maltreatment increases the risk of mental health and substance use problems. Understanding the mechanisms linking maltreatment to these problems is critical for prevention.

Objective: To examine whether self-compassion and avoidant coping mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental ill-health and alcohol use.

Participants and setting: Australians aged 18-20 years at baseline were recruited through social media and professional networks.

Methods: Participants (n = 568) completed an online survey, and were followed up annually for two subsequent surveys. Mediation models were conducted with the SPSS PROCESS macro. Maltreatment was the predictor; Wave 2 self-compassion and avoidant coping as mediators; Wave 3 mental health and alcohol use as outcomes.

Results: Childhood maltreatment predicted greater mental health symptoms (b = 0.253, 95 % CI = 0.128-0.378), and alcohol use (b = 0.057, 95 % CI = 0.008-0.107). Both self-compassion (b = 0.056, 95 % CI = 0.019-0.093) and avoidant coping (b = 0.103, 95 % CI = 0.024-0.181) mediated the relationship between maltreatment and mental health. Additionally, avoidant coping, but not self-compassion, mediated the relationship (b = 0.040, 95 % CI 0.020-0.061) with alcohol use. However, when controlling for pre-existing mental health and substance use, neither self-compassion nor avoidant coping mediated the relationship with mental health. Only avoidant coping mediated the link with alcohol use (b = 0.010, 95 % CI = 0.001-0.020).

Conclusions: Findings suggests that by adulthood, self-compassion and avoidant coping may not explain future change in mental health symptoms; however, avoidant coping accounts for change in alcohol use across early adulthood. Reducing avoidant coping may prevent hazardous alcohol use across young adulthood among people exposed to childhood maltreatment.

Keywords: Alcohol use; Childhood maltreatment; Coping; Mental health; Self-compassion.