Childhood Trauma and Neuroticism: Implications for Mental Health in Mexican Americans

Childhood trauma represents a major problem for Mexican Americans in the United States and is associated with the development of both depressive and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. Neuroticism is suggested to be a contributing factor in this relationship. Using a cross sectional design, we hypothesized that neuroticism would mediate the relationship between childhood trauma exposure, depressive, and PTS symptoms in a sample of Mexican American college students. Findings suggested: (a) neuroticism mediated the relationship between childhood trauma, depressive, and PTS symptoms; (b) neuroticism could be a point of intervention; and (c) screening for childhood trauma and neuroticism may benefit prevention.