Relationship between adverse childhood experiences and anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents: The role of self-compassion and social support

Abstract

Previous studies have revealed that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) create a significant and lasting effect of increased anxiety. However, few studies have examined the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. The present study aimed to explore the mediating role of self-compassion and moderating role of social support in ACEs-anxiety relationship among Chinese adolescents. In this cross-sectional study, 1,764 middle school students completed questionnaires measuring their levels of ACEs, anxiety, self-compassion (SC), and social support. Correlations of variables were computed using Pearson’s r. Mediation and moderated mediation models were tested using PROCESS macro with the regression bootstrapping method. After covariates (age and gender) were controlled, results showed that: (1) ACEs were positively associated with anxiety symptoms; (2) self-compassion partially mediated the ACEs-anxiety association; (3) both ACEs-anxiety and SC-anxiety relationships were moderated by social support. Specifically, social support was associated with lower anxiety, particularly among students with fewer ACEs or lower level of self-compassion. Reducing possible adversities existing in environment may help to reduce risk of anxiety for adolescents. Cultivating self-compassion is crucial for adolescents’ mental health, since it may play a role in ACEs-anxiety relationship. Social support would operate as a buffer to ACEs in the relation with anxiety, under the circumstances of mild adversities, and a promoter to self-compassion in the relation with anxiety, under the circumstances of low self-compassion.

Adverse childhood experiences and deviant behaviors among Chinese rural emerging adults: the role of social support

“…Thus, if people with adverse family experiences could perceive good support from friends or other interpersonal relationships, they could recover from the impact of adverse events. Similar effects have been reported in previous empirical studies [60,61]. However, unlike previous studies focusing on overall social support, the current study distinguished the different effect of three type of social support, indicating different interventions for people with different ACEs.…”

The Relationship Between Negative Life Events and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among Chinese Adolescents: A Moderated-Mediation Model

“… 53 For adolescents, social support during adolescence can prevent emotional problems, such as depression and anxiety, 54 , 55 and help adolescents cope with adversity and stress. In the context of negative life events, adolescents with higher levels of social support are at less risk of experiencing mental health problems, 56 and adolescents with low levels of social support may be more vulnerable to mental health problems. A risk-protective factor model within the framework of resiliency theory suggests that protective factors serve to reduce the negative impact of risk factors on psychological outcomes.…”

How School Travel Affects Children’s Psychological Well-Being and Academic Achievement in China

“…People living in the city centers face more traffic and noise, and those traffic-induced noise pollution may attenuate the residents’ mental health [ 60 ]. According to a recent national study of mental health, with nearly 30 million Chinese adolescents under 17 years old suffering from mental anxiety requiring comprehensive interventions [ 61 ], our study proves that reducing commuting time is an effective intervention to enhance Chinese adolescents’ PWB.…”