Current Psychology (2024) 43:7116–7130 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04925-2 in recent years (Pynoos et al., 1997). Children and adoles- cents can be traumatized in a variety of settings, such as schools, streets, homes, communities and battlefelds (Joshi, 1997). Childhood trauma is a broad concept that includes physical, emotional, sexual abuse and physical or emotional neglect of the individual during childhood. Any behaviour that is actively applied to the child and causes physical and emotional harm to the child is considered abuse, while the failure in meeting child’s needs such as care and education is described as neglect (Fratto, 2016). While forming the theoretical background of this research and examining the relationship between trauma and other variables, Fratto’s defnition of childhood trauma was taken into consideration. Childhood traumatic experiences can occur in the form of accidents, natural disasters, physical, emotional and sexual abuse or emotional and physical neglect (Bülbül et al., 2013). From among the components of trauma, physical abuse is defned as acts that cause physical harm or risk of injury (kicking, shaking, biting, etc.), including death, to the child, emotional abuse is defned as humiliating or threaten- ing behaviours and verbal attacks towards a child’s sense of Introduction Today, children and adolescents’ exposure to increasing number of traumas and violence has become a global prob- lem. However, psychological interventions for child and adolescent victims of traumas have only begun to increase  Kıvanç Uzun kuzun@mehmetakif.edu.tr Özlem Tagay ozlemtagay@gmail.com Osman Cırcır osmancircir@hotmail.com 1 Career Development Practice and Research Center, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey 2 Faculty of Education, Guidance and Psychological Counseling, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, Turkey 3 Naciye Mumcuoğlu Anadolu High School, Ministry of Education, Konya, Turkey Abstract The purpose of the current study is to investigate the mediator role of perceived social support and attitudes towards seeking psychological help in the relationship between childhood traumas and future expectations of adolescents. With this study, it is thought that by supporting the perceived social support and psychological help-seeking attitudes of adoles- cents, their future expectations can be increased and the negative efects of childhood trauma can be reduced. Addressing childhood trauma together with future expectation, perceived social support and psychological help-seeking attitude may help to better understand the childhood trauma of adolescents and to create a comprehensive trauma treatment model. The sample consisted of 375 high school students, comprising 65.10% females and 34.90% males, ranging in age from 14 to 18 years (M = 15.79, SD = 1.42). The data were collected using a demographic information form and four self-report scales. In addition to descriptive statistics, Pearson Correlation Coefcient and Bootstrap Analysis were used to analyse the data. The results of the study revealed that the mediator role of perceived social support and attitudes towards seek- ing psychological help in the efect of future expectations on childhood trauma of adolescents is statistically signifcant. Keywords Adolescents · Childhood trauma · Future expectations · Social support · Seeking psychological help Accepted: 25 June 2023 / Published online: 1 July 2023 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023 Childhood traumas and future expectations in adolescents: examination the role of perceived social support and attitudes to seeking psychological help Kıvanç Uzun 1  · Özlem Tagay 2  · Osman Cırcır 3 1 3