Adolescence is a sensitive developmental period during which individuals form social and personal identities. Although research on adolescent well-being has increased, studies examining the association between childhood trauma and social well-being are limited. School engagement may serve as a key pathway linking early trauma to social well-being.
Methods:
The sample consisted of 440 adolescents (age range: 12-18 years) who completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Keyes’ Social well-being Scale, and Wang’s School Engagement Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test direct and indirect effects, with model fit evaluated using CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and RMR.
Results:
Structural equation modeling showed that childhood trauma negatively affected adolescents’ social well-being (total effect: β = -0.53, p < 0.01), with both direct (β = -0.23, p = 0.015) and indirect effects via school engagement (β = -0.30, p = 0.013). Childhood trauma also negatively predicted school engagement (β = -0.60, p = 0.043), while school engagement positively predicted social well-being (β = 0.50, p = 0.026), mainly through emotional and behavioral dimensions; the cognitive dimension was not significant.
Conclusions:
Childhood trauma is associated with reduced social well-being in adolescents, both directly and via decreased school engagement. Interventions that strengthen emotional and behavioral engagement at school may help buffer the negative effects of early trauma and promote healthy social development. Future studies should examine these relationships longitudinally to better understand causal mechanisms
arabjafari, M. and Doostian, Y. (2026). Childhood Trauma and Adolescents’ Social Well-Being: The Mediating Role of School Engagement. Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, (), -. doi: 10.22108/cbs.2026.148153.2138
MLA
arabjafari, M. , and Doostian, Y. . "Childhood Trauma and Adolescents’ Social Well-Being: The Mediating Role of School Engagement", Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, , , 2026, -. doi: 10.22108/cbs.2026.148153.2138
HARVARD
arabjafari, M., Doostian, Y. (2026). 'Childhood Trauma and Adolescents’ Social Well-Being: The Mediating Role of School Engagement', Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, (), pp. -. doi: 10.22108/cbs.2026.148153.2138
CHICAGO
M. arabjafari and Y. Doostian, "Childhood Trauma and Adolescents’ Social Well-Being: The Mediating Role of School Engagement," Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, (2026): -, doi: 10.22108/cbs.2026.148153.2138
VANCOUVER
arabjafari, M., Doostian, Y. Childhood Trauma and Adolescents’ Social Well-Being: The Mediating Role of School Engagement. Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, 2026; (): -. doi: 10.22108/cbs.2026.148153.2138
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