Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychological Well-Being in Chinese College Students: Moderated Mediation By Gender and Resilience

Background and Purpose: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including child abuse, child neglect, and household challenges, are a prevalent social issue that impacts individuals’ well-being worldwide. Relatively few ACEs studies paid attention to the presence of psychological wellness, especially in ethnically Chinese populations. Furthermore, less is known about the mechanism between ACEs and psychological well-being as well as the moderating effect of gender. Thus, this study investigates two specific research questions: (1) whether resilience mediates the relationship between ACEs and psychological well-being among Chinese college students, and (2) whether gender moderates the relationships among ACEs, resilience, and psychological well-being.

Methods: A total of 1,881 college students studying social science from 12 Chinese colleges completed an anonymous online survey between late September and early October 2020. Three dimensions of ACEs (i.e., child abuse, child neglect, and household challenges) were measured using CDC’s ACE scale. Resilience was assessed by Wagnild’s 14‑item Resilience Scale instrument (RS‑14). Participants’ psychological well-being was measured by Ryff and Singer's 18-item version of the Psychological Well-being Scale. We also collected participants’ self-reported gender. Multiple-group structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to examine whether the effects of ACEs dimensions on resilience and psychological well-being differed as a function of gender.

Results: The relationships among ACEs dimensions, resilience, and psychological well-being differed by gender. For female students, higher frequencies of abuse and neglect were associated with poorer resilience, which led to reduced psychological well-being. For male students, resilience fully mediated the effects of household challenges on psychological well-being – male students who had more household challenges tended to report lower levels of resilience, and the decreased resilience was associated with diminished psychological well-being.

Conclusions and Implications: Our findings suggest that resilience was positively associated with psychological well-being for both gender groups, but the relationships among ACEs dimensions and resilience differed by gender. Based on the findings, various ACE-informed initiatives may be essential to prevent and protect individuals from ACEs. We also call for resilience-based interventions to enhance individuals’ resilience and thus to strengthen their psychological well-being.