Objective. Traumatic events in childhood have been implicated in the development of psychosis, but given that trauma is not in itself sufficient to cause psychosis, researchers have started to investigate other psychological constructs potentially involved in explaining this relationship. Given that self-disgust as a transdiagnostic construct plays a role in the development/maintenance of a range of mental health difficulties, the objective of this study was to investigate whether self-disgust mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and psychosis. Method.A cross-sectional quantitative study design was used. Seventy-eight participants (M age = 37.64 years, SD age = 11.57 years; 77% women; 88% White Caucasian) who reported experiencing clinical levels of psychosis were recruited using social media. The participants completed online survey measures of childhood trauma, self-disgust, experiences of psychosis, self-esteem, and external shame. The data were analysed using correlation and mediation analyses.Results. Significant indirect effects of childhood trauma on both positive (b = .17, BC 95% CI [0.06, 0.30]) and negative symptoms (b = .26, BC 95% CI [0.14, 0.40]) of psychosis via self-disgust were observed. These effects remained despite the inclusion of selfesteem and external shame as control variables in the mediation models.Conclusion. Thisstudyisthefirsttoshowamediatingroleforself-disgustintherelationship between childhood trauma and later psychosis. Although the findings should be considered preliminary until strengthened by further research, they nevertheless provide corroboration of the potential utility of self-disgust as a transdiagnostic construct not only from a theoretical perspective, but also from its potential to inform formulation and interventions. Practitioner pointsWhen assessing individuals with psychosis, especially those with a trauma history explore experiences and feelings related to the construct of self-disgust. Such experiences are likely to centre on feelings of
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.