dc.description.abstract |
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with multiple negative outcomes in young adulthood, including psychological distress, impediment of attaining normative developmental roles, and the presence of physical health risk factors. What is less understood is the relationship between ACEs and positive outcomes, such as wellbeing, and the processes by which it may be achieved following childhood maltreatment. Resilience has also been identified as an important and dynamic process, by which people can overcome early adversity. Accordingly, this research sought to explore the relationships between ACEs, resilience and wellbeing. The first study investigated the pervasiveness of ACEs and gender differences, using a newly revised measure of childhood adversity. The second study explored the effects of ACEs on five domains of wellbeing, and the possible mediation of this relationship by resilience resources. A self-selected sample (N = 1,266) aged between 18 and 35, who had grown up in New Zealand, completed an anonymous online survey consisting of the revised Adverse Childhood Experiences scale, which measured abuse and household dysfunction, along with newly added community level adversities. They also completed the Resilience Scale for Adults - a measure of six dynamic resilience resources; and the PERMA-Profiler - a new measure of Seligman’s (2011) five domains of wellbeing, which had not been used before to measures associations between wellbeing and early adversity. ACEs were prevalent, and the most common ACEs were peer isolation and rejection, a family member with a mental illness or who had attempted suicide, and peer victimisation, respectively. Support was found for the use of the expanded ACEs measure, with peer isolation and rejection, and peer victimisation both new additions to the ACE scale. Findings highlighted differences between the genders, with gender diverse people experiencing significantly higher rates of cumulative childhood trauma than females and males. ACEs were also associated with decreased wellbeing across all domains; and this relationship was mediated by resilience and its constituent elements. The resilience resources perception of self, perception of future, and social resources were shown as being particularly important to wellbeing, in those who had experienced childhood maltreatment. The findings implicated resilience as being an important part of the realisation of wellbeing following traumatic childhoods, and emphasised the importance of considering resilience as a multi-dimensional process. The benefits of early intervention from a social ecological approach to resilience are discussed. |
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