Cognitive and Emotional Mediators of the Transformation of Adverse Childhood Experiences into Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: Testing a Model in Young Adults

Studies show that symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in college students increase with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). If individuals in young adulthood cannot cope with the negative experiences they were exposed to in childhood, they are at risk of mental health problems later in life. This study aimed to determine whether the effects of the past continue into the present and to examine their scope by testing the effect of ACEs on depression, anxiety, and stress through positive and negative feelings and irrational beliefs. Using stratified convenience sampling, 708 volunteer undergraduate students, 458 female and 250 male, with a mean age of 20.84 years, were reached in their classrooms. In the cross-sectional correlational survey design, Hayes’ PROCESS macro (model 80) was used for conditional process analyses after the regression assumptions were tested. The mediator variables positive and negative feelings and irrational beliefs accounted for about two-thirds of the effect of ACEs on depression (total effect = 0.598, 95% CI [0.442, 0.755], direct effect = 0.209 [0.069, 0.348]), about half of the effect on anxiety (total effect = 0.650 [0.499, 0.802], direct effect = 0.360 [0.214, 0.506]), and more than half of the effect on stress (total effect = 0.676 [0.507, 0.844], direct effect = 0.302 [0.146, 0.458]). Finally, compared to males, females had higher mean scores for ACEs, negative feelings, and depression, anxiety, and stress, and lower mean scores for irrational beliefs. In conclusion, the study shows that the negative effects of the past continue to appear in the present and recommends taking steps to prevent their potential risks for the mental health of young adults.