Sociosexuality and Maladaptive Personality Traits as Mediators of the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Sexual Victimization in Adulthood

Traumatic revictimization is a well-known but not well-understood phenomenon. Understanding the pathways through which revictimization occurs and the characteristics that may increase risk for revictimization is important for prevention. Two potential mediating pathways are sociosexuality and maladaptive personality traits. To examine the effects of these variables directly, an all-female community sample (N = 621) completed an online survey assessing childhood trauma, sexual assault experiences, sociosexuality, and maladaptive personality traits. Results indicate that sociosexuality, psychoticism, and disinhibition partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and sexual assault. These findings suggest that sociosexuality and maladaptive personality traits are important areas of future research to explain how trauma may lead to additional traumas later in life.