Perceived Stress Mediates the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Onset of Bruxism Among Adolescents.

Purpose: Bruxism is relatively common among adolescents; however, the psychological factors affecting its occurrence remain unclear. This study explored the incidence of bruxism in adolescents, and the role of childhood trauma and perceived stress in the occurrence of bruxism.

Patients and methods: This was an online cross-sectional survey of 7794 adolescents aged 12-18 years, with 6780 adolescents meeting the inclusion criteria. We used the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACEQ) to assess childhood trauma experiences, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to evaluate stress in adolescents, and three items to assess bruxism. The chi-square test was used for demographic data and t-test was used for continuous variables. A mediation analysis was used to explore the mechanism of childhood trauma as it relates to bruxism.

Results: Our research shows that about 21.6% of sampled adolescents had bruxism. Being in adolescents, childhood trauma, and high levels of perceived stress were risk factors for bruxism, and good academic performance was a protective factor against bruxism. Adolescents with bruxism had higher levels of childhood trauma and perceived stress. Perceived stress levels played a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and the development of bruxism.

Conclusion: Bruxism is common in adolescents, and its occurrence is related to childhood trauma and perceived stress levels. Childhood trauma mediates bruxism through perceived stress levels. Attention should be paid to the childhood trauma experiences and perceived stress levels of adolescents with bruxism, and timely interventions should be provided that are conducive to reducing the occurrence of bruxism.