Abstact
Trauma is defined as intense stress experiences that have permanent mental, emotional and physical effects on individuals. While such experiences can dramatically alter individuals' cognition about the world and the self, their effects on the body are undeniable. This study aimed to explore the sequential mediating role of emotion management skills and negative affect in the relationship between post-traumatic cognitions and somatization for adults who have at least one or more traumatic experiences. This research was conducted with cross-sectional, correlational research designs and the final sample consisted of 494 participants. The Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale, Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory, Emotion Management Skills Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Negative Affect Subscale), and Somatization Scale were used as data collection tools. It was found that there are moderate positive relationships emerged between post-traumatic cognitions, negative affect, and somatization scores; and significant moderate inverse relationships emerged between emotion management skills and others. According to the mediation analysis, emotion management skills and negative affection fully explains the relationship between post-traumatic cognitions and somatization. While post-traumatic cognitions have an indirect effect through emotion management skills and negative affect sequentially, there is no direct relationship between post-traumatic cognitions and somatization. The relationship between post-traumatic cognitions and somatization occurs in the context of emotion management skills and negative affect. This article explains the importance of emotions in the emergence of somatization on a theoretical basis and enhances our understanding of the relationship between trauma and somatization.
Key words: Trauma, cognition, posttraumatic cognitions, somatization, emotions, emotional regulation, negative affect
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