his study examined the hypothesis that Reflective Functioning would have moderation between childhood trauma, nightmare and psychopathology. Study 1 investigated the assumption that Reflective Functioning would have moderation between childhood traum...
his study examined the hypothesis that Reflective Functioning would have moderation between childhood trauma, nightmare and psychopathology. Study 1 investigated the assumption that Reflective Functioning would have moderation between childhood trauma and psychopathology. The reflective functioning level was rated using Reflective Functioning Scale, and then childhood trauma questionnaire and the Brief Symptom Inventory were applied on 81 college students. The results showed that reflective functioning had a moderating effect on the pathway from childhood trauma to psychopathology. In low level of childhood trauma, there was no difference in Global Symptom Severity between the levels of reflective functioning, while in the high level of childhood trauma, the high level of reflective functioning had a low Global Symptom Severity than the low level of reflective functioning.
Study 2 tested the relationship between childhood trauma, nightmare, and psychopathology. 216 college students who reported having nightmare, were recruited and interviewed using the Reflective Functioning Scale, and then the reflective functioning level was rated. In addition, the author created a series of questionnaire to assess the level of reflective functioning specific to nightmare experience and termed Nightmare Specific Reflective Functioning. The path model which pictures the relationship among childhood trauma, nightmare frequency, nightmare distress, and psychopathology was created and then evaluated in terms of the degree of influences on each path. The reflective functioning group was divided into the high and the low group and the groups were compared with the each corresponding path in both groups. The Nightmare Specific Reflective Functioning was examined to see whether it would moderate the paths. The results follows. In the path from childhood trauma to nightmare frequency, the moderation of reflective functioning and nightmare specific reflective functioning failed. In the path from childhood trauma to nightmare distress, the moderation of reflective functioning and nightmare specific reflective functioning failed. In the path from childhood trauma to nightmare psychopathology, the moderating effect of reflective functioning was significant, but the effect of nightmare specific reflective functioning was not. In the path from nightmare frequency to nightmare distress, the moderating effect of and nightmare specific reflective functioning was significant, but the effect of reflective functioning was not. In the path from nightmare distress to psychopathology, the moderating effects of both reflective functioning and nightmare specific reflective functioning were significant. The implications and limitations of the results of this study were discussed and future directions of the research were suggested.