Exploring the Role of Dysregulated Arousal in the Relationship Between Trauma and Addictive Behaviors Among College Students

ABSTRACT The relationship between trauma and addictive behaviors is well‐established, yet factors mediating this relationship remain understudied. Given the prevalence of addictive behaviors among collegiate populations, we used path analysis to explore the mediating role of arousal dysregulation in the relationship between childhood trauma and a variety of addictive behaviors among 395 college students. The resultant model demonstrated excellent fit and included the direct effect of trauma and indirect effects on addictive outcomes via hyperarousal and hypoarousal. Specifically, hyperarousal mediated the effects of trauma on all outcomes, whereas hypoarousal mediated the effects on social media addiction and sex addiction. The resulting path model provides support for the self‐medication hypothesis of addiction, yet the amount of variance left unexplained suggests that addictive behaviors are influenced by many factors, of which trauma is one.