The mediating effects of psychache and dissociation in the relationship between childhood trauma and suicide attempts

Objectives: Childhood maltreatment, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect, is a common experience worldwide. The association between childhood maltreatment and suicide has also been well estab-lished. This study aimed to investigate the mediator roles of psychache and dissociation in the effect of childhood maltreatment on suicide. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 198 major depressive disorder patients admitted to Çukurova University School of Medicine Balcalı Hospital and diagnosed with major depressive disorder according to DSM-5 criteria. The patients were grouped as those who attempted (97 patients) or did not attempt suicide (101 patients). Sociodemographic data form, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Childhood Trauma Ques-tionnaire (CTQ), Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), and Psychache Scale (PS) were used for data collection. Results: The mean BDI, median DES, median CTQ total, and mean PS scores in the suicide group were higher than those in the non-suicide group (p