Childhood Psychological Maltreatment, Psychological Flexibility, Family Conflict, and Subjective Happiness in University Students: A Serial Mediation Model

Abstract

Childhood psychological maltreatment has psychological, behavioral, and emotional repercussions on individuals in adulthood. These reflections play a role in both the internal distress of individuals and the deterioration of their interpersonal relationships. The aim of this study was to examine the serial mediating role of psychological flexibility and family conflict in the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and subjective happiness. The study was conducted with 493 university students (61.7% female, 38.3% male), with ages ranging from 18 to 53 years (M-age = 24.02, SD = 6.342). The data of this research was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings of the study indicate that psychological flexibility and family conflict have a serial mediating role in the relationship between childhood psychological maltreatment and subjective happiness. The results demonstrated that to improve the subjective happiness of people who have been psychologically abused as children, it is necessary to make them more psychologically flexible and teach them how to deal with family conflict. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of fostering psychological flexibility and conflict resolution skills as key intervention targets to mitigate the long-term negative effects of childhood psychological maltreatment on subjective happiness. The findings of the study were discussed and interpreted in detail in the light of the relevant literature.