The relationship of childhood trauma experiences with cognitive distortions and sense of coherence in nursing students

Purpose This study aimed to determine the relationship of childhood trauma experiences with cognitive distortions and sense of coherence in nursing students. Design and Methods This descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study was conducted with 359 nursing students. Data were collected using the Sociodemographic Information Form, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Cognitive Distortions Scale (CDS), and Sense of Coherence (SOC). Findings A positive correlation between CTQ and CDS and a negative correlation between CTQ and SOC were determined (p < 0.05). It was concluded that the CTQ sexual abuse variable had a significant (p = 0.008) effect on the SOC meaningfulness subscale. Practice implications It is thought that it is essential to strengthen nursing students in terms of childhood traumatic experiences, and the sense of coherence will contribute positively to this situation.