People who need people: the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and mental health among college students

Abstract

Objective

This study investigates the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health among a sample of college students. It also explores whether health behaviors and social support may help to explain the link between ACEs and mental health. Participants: Participants were students at a large public university in the Southwest (n = 404). Methods: A survey captured ACEs, diet, exercise, smoking, binge drinking, perceived social support, depression, anxiety, and demographics. Results: Respondents with four or more ACEs had significantly higher rates of depression and anxiety than respondents with lower ACE scores. We found significant differences in social support, but not health behaviors for the two groups. Finally, social support emerged as a strong predictor of depression/anxiety and a mediator between childhood adversity and mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the importance of adverse childhood experiences for college student health and indicate a need for interventions for socially isolated students.

Keywords:

• ACEs
• mental health
• social support

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Texas State University.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.