Self-Efficacy and Attachment Styles Mediate the Impact of Early Life Trauma on Negative Emotional States in Adults Living in Portugal.

Catarina Gomes Coelho, Luíza Cerri, Jorge Leite, Paulo P P Machado, Sandra Carvalho

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Journal of child & adolescent trauma, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

The bidirectional relationship between emotional distress and subjective wellbeing among college students: a cross-lagged network analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026
Article

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Catarina Gomes CoelhoPsychotherapy and Psychopathology Research Lab - CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-5011-7715

Luíza CerriPsychological Neuroscience Laboratory, Centro de Investigação em Psicologia (CIPsi), Department of Basic Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Gualtar, Braga, Portugal, Campus de Gualtar, Rua da Universidade, Braga, Gualtar 4710-057 Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-0614-6759

Jorge LeiteCINTESIS@RISE, CINTESIS.UPT, Portucalense University, Porto, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0002-0323-9012

Paulo P P MachadoPsychotherapy and Psychopathology Research Lab - CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-4277-9203

Sandra CarvalhoPsychological Neuroscience Laboratory, Centro de Investigação em Psicologia (CIPsi), Department of Basic Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Gualtar, Braga, Portugal, Campus de Gualtar, Rua da Universidade, Braga, Gualtar 4710-057 Portugal.ORCID 0000-0003-1759-5146

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

While early life trauma (ELT) is known to contribute to poor physical and psychological health in adulthood, not all individuals exposed to ELT develop mental illness. This suggests the presence of potential mediating factors that influence this relationship. This study examines the mediating effects of self-efficacy and attachment styles on the relationship between ELT and negative emotional states (NEs) in a large cohort of people in Portugal. A total of 936 participants completed standardized psychological assessments via an online survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and mediation analysis were employed to examine the relationships among ELT, self-efficacy, attachment styles, and NEs. The findings indicated a strong correlation between ELT and diminished self-efficacy, as well as elevated levels of anxious and avoidant attachment patterns. These factors mediated the link between ELT and adverse emotional states. The results underscore the significant function of self-efficacy and attachment patterns as primary mediators in the emotional outcomes of ELT. Addressing these aspects via trauma-informed therapies may alleviate the psychological cost of ELT. Future longitudinal research are necessary to establish causal relationships and further examine these pathways. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-025-00812-z.

Indexed as

Anxious attachment styleAvoidant attachment styleEarly life traumaNegative emotional statesSelf-efficacy

Identifiers

PMID42703237

DOI10.1007/s40653-025-00812-z

PMCPMC13546191

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.