Citation

Kelifa MO, Yang Y, Herbert C, He Q, Wang P. Child Abuse Negl. 2020; 106: e104480.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104480

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are well recognized remote risks for adulthood depression. However, proximal processes for this relationship is still an ongoing research endeavor, particularly among college students living in resource-limited settings. The mechanism of the impact of ACEs on depression may be attributed to mediators such as psychological resilience and current stressful events (CSEs).

METHODS: Data was obtained using a cross-sectional study from a national representative sample of college undergraduates in Eritrea (N = 507). To explain the mediated effect of ACEs on depression, a mediation analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed.

RESULTS: ACEs were found to have both direct (β = 0.102, p = 0.023) and indirect (β = 0.216, p < 0.001) effects on depression. The indirect effect was negatively mediated by psychological resilience and positively by CSEs. Respondents with higher levels of psychological resilience reported lower depressive symptoms and lower ACEs scores, while those with higher scores of either CSEs or ACEs reported more depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: The impact of ACEs on depression may be reduced by managing current stressors and building students' psychological resilience.

Language: en

Keywords

Depression; Resilience; Adverse childhood experiences; Current stressful events