Psychological Flexibility Mediates Wellbeing for People with Adverse Childhood Experiences during COVID-19

Abstract

Background: The psychological impact of COVID-19 is multifaceted, both acute and chronic, and has not affected everyone equally. Method: This longitudinal study compared those with and without Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on measures of psychological distress and wellbeing over time. Results: All groups (No ACE, Low ACE, and High ACE) had similar levels of distress at Time 1, with significant increases in psychological distress for those with ACEs over time, but not for those without. Psychological Flexibility was strongly and significantly associated with decreases in psychological distress and improved wellbeing. It significantly mediated the relationship between ACE and wellbeing. Conclusions: Those with ACEs report significantly increased psychological distress over time, compared to those without ACE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence-based interventions using Psychological Flexibility may improve mental health and wellbeing to help further mediate its effects.

Measuring changes in adult health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and their relationship with adverse childhood experiences and current social assets: a cross-sectional survey

“…For physical health and sleep, increased likelihood of movement into poorer categories was apparent with just one ACE, with effects significant on mental health from ≥ 2 ACEs (Tables 1 , 2 and 3 ). Results here are consistent with a history of ACEs being associated with lower resilience in crisis [ 24 , 27 ]. Consequently, individuals’ abilities to adapt to change and accommodate reduced levels of social and professional support in the pandemic may contribute to more detrimental impacts on health and well-being (Tables 1 , 2 and 3 ).…”

“…In order to provide consistency for respondents, individuals were asked to rate each outcome (mental health, physical health and sleep) on a 0–10 scale (mental health: 0 extremely poor to 10 extremely good; physical health: 0 not at all healthy to 10 completely healthy; and sleep: 0 not at all well to 10 extremely well). 0–10 scales are commonly used in surveys to rate and compare individuals’ health and well-being [ 24 , 25 ]. Wording and categorisations were developed specifically for measuring these two COVID-related time periods in a consistent and succinct manner which also minimised survey length and so supported compliance in a pandemic setting.…”

The role of psychological flexibility in the relationships between burnout, job satisfaction, and mental health among nurses in combatting COVID‐19: A two‐region survey

“…Previous studies have indicated the protective role of psychological flexibility in mitigating the impacts of COVID‐19‐related stressors (Crasta et al, 2020; Huang et al, 2021; Pakenham et al, 2020; Tindle et al, 2022), illness perceptions and concerns (Chong, Chien, Cheng, Kassianos, et al, 2021; Mallett et al, 2021; Tindle et al, 2022), and social isolation on mental health among the general public (Smith et al, 2020). In other population groups, such as parents (Daks et al, 2020), college students (Pang et al, 2021; Ye et al, 2022), people with adverse childhood experiences (Browne et al, 2022), chronic pain patients (Yu et al, 2021), as well as COVID‐19 patients (Huang et al, 2021), psychological flexibility has also been studied for its mediating effects on mental health and well‐being. The study findings posit the plausible role of psychological flexibility as an emotional resource in the Conservations of Resources model (Hobfoll et al, 2018), as well as a resilience factor for frontline nurses during the pandemic, given that it could partially mediate the relationships between risk factors (i.e., low job satisfaction, burnout) and mental health.…”

More than one way to say I love you: An Internet‐based intervention for training flexible thinking in romantic relationships

“…While definitions of psychological flexibility vary substantially across the research literature (Cherry et al, 2021), this construct has consistently been found to be associated with greater mental health outcomes (Deng et al, 2022;Kashdan & Rottenberg, 2010;Thompson et al, 2022), well-being (Browne et al, 2022;Wąsowicz et al, 2021), and relationship satisfaction (Daks & Rogge, 2020).…”

“…More recently, psychological flexibility has been defined as the ability to integrate new information from unfolding events into working memory and to update this information based on changing circumstances (Pruessner et al, 2020). While definitions of psychological flexibility vary substantially across the research literature (Cherry et al, 2021), this construct has consistently been found to be associated with greater mental health outcomes (Deng et al, 2022; Kashdan & Rottenberg, 2010; Thompson et al, 2022), well‐being (Browne et al, 2022; Wąsowicz et al, 2021), and relationship satisfaction (Daks & Rogge, 2020).…”