Perceived Social Support as a Moderator of Trauma Perpetrator and Interoceptive Awareness Among Young Adults
Faculty Mentor
Caroline Clauss-Ehlers and Sara Haden
Major/Area of Research
Clinical Psychology
Description
INTRODUCTION: Interpersonal trauma has been linked to disruptions in interoceptive awareness, or the ability to observe and interpret internal bodily sensations that support emotional and physical regulation. Research suggests trauma from family members may be uniquely harmful due to violations of trust and attachment expectations. However, limited research has examined whether perpetrator type differentially impacts interoceptive awareness or the potentially buffering effect of perceived social support. This archival study compared interoceptive awareness among individuals who experienced childhood trauma perpetrated by a family versus non-family member and examined whether perceived social support moderated the relationship between perpetrator type and interoceptive awareness.
METHOD: Participants were 95 students from LIU Brooklyn aged 18-45 (M = 20.4, SD = 4.64) who endorsed interpersonal trauma and identified their perpetrator. The sample was predominantly female (77.9%), and 25.5% identified as Black. Measures included the Early Trauma Inventory-Self Report-Short Form (ETI-SR-SF), the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Analyses were conducted using PROCESS in Jamovi with 5,000 bootstrapped samples and 95% confidence intervals.
RESULTS: No significant differences in interoceptive awareness were found between participants reporting trauma perpetrated by a family member versus a non-family member across MAIA subscales. Perceived social support also did not significantly differ between perpetrator groups on MSPSS subscales. Moderation analyses indicated that perceived social support did not moderate the relationship between perpetrator type and interoceptive awareness.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Findings suggest interoceptive awareness may not differ based on whether interpersonal trauma was perpetrated by a family or non-family member; interoceptive disruption may reflect a general consequence of trauma exposure. Limitations include reliance on self-report, lack of information on trauma chronicity and therapy experience, and a predominantly female sample. Future research should examine whether trauma severity, chronicity, or developmental timing more strongly predict interoceptive functioning.
Perceived Social Support as a Moderator of Trauma Perpetrator and Interoceptive Awareness Among Young Adults
INTRODUCTION: Interpersonal trauma has been linked to disruptions in interoceptive awareness, or the ability to observe and interpret internal bodily sensations that support emotional and physical regulation. Research suggests trauma from family members may be uniquely harmful due to violations of trust and attachment expectations. However, limited research has examined whether perpetrator type differentially impacts interoceptive awareness or the potentially buffering effect of perceived social support. This archival study compared interoceptive awareness among individuals who experienced childhood trauma perpetrated by a family versus non-family member and examined whether perceived social support moderated the relationship between perpetrator type and interoceptive awareness.
METHOD: Participants were 95 students from LIU Brooklyn aged 18-45 (M = 20.4, SD = 4.64) who endorsed interpersonal trauma and identified their perpetrator. The sample was predominantly female (77.9%), and 25.5% identified as Black. Measures included the Early Trauma Inventory-Self Report-Short Form (ETI-SR-SF), the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Analyses were conducted using PROCESS in Jamovi with 5,000 bootstrapped samples and 95% confidence intervals.
RESULTS: No significant differences in interoceptive awareness were found between participants reporting trauma perpetrated by a family member versus a non-family member across MAIA subscales. Perceived social support also did not significantly differ between perpetrator groups on MSPSS subscales. Moderation analyses indicated that perceived social support did not moderate the relationship between perpetrator type and interoceptive awareness.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Findings suggest interoceptive awareness may not differ based on whether interpersonal trauma was perpetrated by a family or non-family member; interoceptive disruption may reflect a general consequence of trauma exposure. Limitations include reliance on self-report, lack of information on trauma chronicity and therapy experience, and a predominantly female sample. Future research should examine whether trauma severity, chronicity, or developmental timing more strongly predict interoceptive functioning.