The mediating role of personality traits in the association between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in young adulthood

The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of the Big 5 personality traits (extraversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness) in the association between early traumatization and depressive symptoms in early adulthood (20–25-year-olds) in a German population-based sample. A total of 3176 participants from the German National Cohort (NAKO) baseline with an age between 20 and 25 years were included in this investigation. The sum score of the 9-item-version of the Patient Health Questionnaire was used for assessment of depressive symptoms. A structural equation model was built to test the paths between childhood trauma, Big 5 personality traits and depressive symptoms. Overall, 10.7 % of the young adult sample had a PHQ-9 sum score of ten or higher. The final mediation model fitted well for young adults. We found evidence for a partial mediating effect of Big 5 personality traits. We only adjusted for age, sex, and year of data collection and did not include biological factors in the model. Young adults with early trauma experiences have a risk for developing depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Personality traits, especially neuroticism, partially mediated the association between early trauma and depressive symptoms for young adults and should be recognized in preventive strategies. •There is a direct effect between trauma and later depressiveness for young adults.•Personality traits, especially neuroticism, partially mediate this association.•Big 5 personality traits and trauma could explain 45 % of the PHQ-9-variance.