The purpose of this study is to verify the mediating effects of dissociation experience, relationship addiction, and internalized shame in the relationship between complex trauma experience in childhood-adolescence and interpersonal trauma in adulthood.

Two hundred and thirty-eight adults participated in this study. They were administered the Korean versions of the Trauma Antecedents Questionnaire, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Dissociative Experiences Scale, Relationship Addiction Questionnaire, and Internalized Shame Scale. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, reliability analysis, and structural equation modeling.

First, dissociation and internalized shame had a double mediating effect in the relationship between complex trauma experience in childhood-adolescence and interpersonal trauma in adulthood. Second, relationship addiction and internalized shame had a double mediating effect in the relationship between complex trauma experience in childhood-adolescence and interpersonal trauma in adulthood. Third, dissociation, relationship addiction, and internalized shame had a triple mediating effect in the relationship between complex trauma experience in childhood-adolescence and interpersonal trauma in adulthood.

Therapeutic intervention for revictimization should address symptoms such as dissociation, relationship addiction, and internalized shame. In addition, people with complex trauma experiences in childhood-adolescence require preventive intervention to avoid further exposure to interpersonal trauma.

Childhood trauma is frequently associated with dating violence or intimate partner violence victimization in adulthood. To investigated the role of forgiveness on revictimization in close relationship, We tested the mediating effects with the three components of dispositional forgiveness-self, other, situation on the relationship between childhood trauma and adulthood dating violence victimization.

We measured childhood trauma experience (CTQ), dating violence victimization in adulthood (CTS-Ⅱ), and self, other, situation forgiveness (HFS), among unmarried women in their 20~30s who have been dating at least once.

The results showed that self-forgiveness partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and adulthood dating violence victimization. However, there was no significant mediating effect of other and situation forgiveness.

These findings suggest that the experience of childhood trauma can lower the level of self-forgiveness, and then increase the risk of dating violence victimization in adulthood. So, the interventions to facilitate self-forgiveness can help overcome interpersonal trauma and prevent revictimization in close relationships. Finally, the implications and limitations were discussed with suggestions for further research.