Perceived control ameliorates the impact of adverse childhood experiences on downstream mental health

Abstract

Background

Previous scholarship has illustrated the pernicious role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in self-reported mental health, namely depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. Given these insights, highlighting protective factors that may diminish the magnitude of this relationship is important. The present study explored the moderating role of perceived control on the relationship between ACEs and depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively.

Methods

Participants consisted of a US-based non-clinical sample of 567 undergraduate students who completed a battery of surveys related to psychological wellbeing and individual differences. A series of hierarchical linear regression analyses were utilized for hypothesis testing.

Results

Consistent with our main hypotheses, perceived control moderated the relationship between ACEs and both anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. Namely, at low levels of perceived control, ACEs were associated with significantly greater levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. However, for those reporting high levels of perceived control, we found no association between ACEs and self-reported symptoms.

Conclusion

We offer evidence that perceived control may serve as a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing against the influence of adverse childhood experiences.