Development of Anticipatory Trauma Scale: Relationship With Social Support, Resilience, Mental Well-Being

Anticipatory trauma involves extreme anxiety, mental preoccupation, bodily tension and emotional distress experienced before a potential traumatic event. Individuals may suffer from stress, worry, preparedness behaviours and impairments in social and personal functioning due to the expectation that they or their loved ones may face a significant risk, accident, attack, disaster or similar traumatic experience in the future. This study aims to develop a reliable and valid Anticipatory Trauma Scale (ATS) and examine its role within a serial mediation model among adults. The study was conducted in three stages. In Study 1 (N = 463), confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the 10-item ATS. Reliability analyses showed that the scale had high internal consistency, while item response analysis indicated the discriminatory power of the items. In Study 2 (N = 491), correlation analysis indicated that the ATS was significantly associated with life satisfaction, the Big Five personality traits, stress, anxiety, depression and trauma coping self-efficacy. In Study 3 (N = 569), structural equation modelling demonstrated that social support and resilience serially mediated the relationship between ATS and mental well-being. Findings suggest that interventions should focus on building resilient social networks and effective coping mechanisms to support the mental health of individuals experiencing trauma and anxiety.