Adverse Childhood Events, Resilience, and Psychopathology

Background and objectives: Adverse childhood experiences increase the predisposition to developing psychiatric disorders, representing risk factors for mental health. The present study aims to analyze adverse childhood experiences, levels of resilience, early maladaptive cognitive schemas, and life history-based strategies among clinically healthy individuals and those diagnosed with psychopathological disorders. Methods: The study starts from the premise that adverse childhood experiences and maladaptive cognitive schemas will be more prevalent in the group of individuals with psychiatric disorders, while resilience will be lower in the psychopathological group. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and the onset of psychiatric problems is influenced by both internal mechanisms and protective factors. Specifically, it is expected that early maladaptive schemas will mediate this relationship, while resilience and life history-based strategies will attenuate the negative impact of adverse experiences, depending on the level at which these personal resources are present. The research included 106 Romanian participants, with an average age of 31.17 (SD = 13.06). Results: The results showed that adverse experiences and maladaptive cognitive schemas were significantly higher in the clinical group, F(104) = -6.97, p < 0.001. Additionally, resilience was significantly higher in the group of healthy individuals, F(104) = 8.76, p < 0.001. Psychiatric disorders were statistically significantly predicted by adverse childhood experiences (β = 2.46, p < 0.01). Regarding the mediation analysis of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and psychiatric disorders, partial mediations were observed for the following variables: Emotional Deprivation, Social Isolation, Abandonment, and Impaired Self-Control. However, neither resilience nor life history-based strategies moderated the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and psychiatric disorders. Conclusions: The study's results represent an important starting point for future research. Moreover, the current paper contributes to a better understanding of the presented concepts, offering significant implications for both theory and practice.