Background: Extensive literature revealed that childhood trauma serves as a significant risk factor for developing psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) among the general population. Resilience has been regarded as a protective factor against PLEs. However, it remains unclear what role resilience plays in the relationship between childhood trauma and PLEs.
Methods: A total of 4302 college students completed the web-based survey in January 2021. Participants completed self-report measures of sample characteristics variables, childhood trauma, and PLEs. Moderation and mediation analyses were adopted to examine the associations linking childhood trauma, resilience, and PLEs.
Results: PLEs were positively associated with childhood trauma while negatively associated with resilience. Resilience played a partially mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and PLEs. Additionally, resilience moderated the association of childhood trauma with PLEs.
Conclusions: These findings indicated that resilience plays a crucial role in mediating the relationship between childhood trauma and PLEs, suggesting the potential clinical implication of enhancing resilience for the prevention and intervention of PLEs among college students.
Keywords: Childhood trauma; College students; Mediation; Moderation; Psychotic-like experiences; Resilience.
© 2024. The Author(s).