Childhood Trauma, Compassion, and Cigarette Dependence in US Latine Adults

Cigarette dependence remains a pressing public health issue among Latine adults in the United States, who face disproportionate barriers to health equity and increased exposure to early-life adversity. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are well-established risk factors for cigarette use and dependence, yet the role of culturally relevant protective factors, such as compassion for self and others, remains underexplored. This cross-sectional study examined whether self-compassion and compassion for others moderated the association between ACEs and cigarette dependence in a national sample of Latine adults who smoked cigarettes (N = 174). Participants completed self-report measures of childhood ACEs, compassion, and cigarette use and dependence. Correlational analyses showed that ACEs were positively associated with cigarette dependence, whereas self-compassion was inversely associated with dependence. However, moderation analyses indicated that neither self-compassion nor compassion for others buffered the relationship between ACEs and cigarette dependence. Although self-compassion did not moderate the ACE-dependence association in this sample, its negative association with dependence highlights the potential value of further investigating self-compassion as a target in strength-based approaches to supporting Latine adults who smoke cigarettes.