Childhood trauma exposure, age and self-compassion as predictors of later-life symptoms of depression and anxiety in American Indian adults

Background Although previous research has established a relationship between childhood trauma and later-life anxiety and depression symptoms in American Indian samples, less is known about protective factors that may reduce the strength of this relationship. Objective The purpose of the present study was to investigate in a sample of American Indian adults, whether age moderates the relationship between self-compassion and poor mental health associated with childhood trauma. Participants and setting Seven hundred and twenty-nine self-identifying American Indian adults (age 18–95) residing in the United States completed an online survey. Method All participants were self-identifying American Indian adults recruited via Qualtrics, which utilized targeted recruiting through managed research panels. Participants self-reported age, gender, income, and completed measures of self-compassion, childhood trauma, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Results Lower self-compassion predicted higher levels of both anxiety symptoms (β = −2.69, R2change = 0.24, t(718) = −15.92, p < .001) and depression symptoms (β = −2.23, R2change = 0.26, t(718) = −16.30, p < .001). In line with our hypothesis, there was a significant three-way interaction between age, childhood trauma exposure and self-compassion in predicting later-life symptoms of anxiety (β = −0.68, t(712) = −3.57, p < .001, R2change = 0.01) and depression (β = −0.54, t(712) = −3.32, p = .001, R2 change = 0.01). Conclusions The findings indicate that for older American Indian adults, self-compassion may be a particularly promising protective factor for symptoms of depression for those who have experienced high levels of childhood trauma, and for symptoms of anxiety regardless of childhood trauma exposure.