Browsing by Author "Caetano, Sara Isabel Pousadas"
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- The Mediating Effect of Post-Traumatic Growth on the Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychological Distress in AdultsPublication . Caetano, Sara Isabel Pousadas; Pereira, Henrique MarquesAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are stressful events of a traumatic nature that occur in the first 18 years of an individual’s life (APA, 2023) and can result in physical and mental health struggles throughout the life course. ACEs can lead to psychological distress (PD) that manifests mainly through depressive and anxious symptoms (Ridl et al., 2020; Silveira & Pereira, 2023), resulting in the deterioration of one’s psychological well-being. However, according to the literature, individuals may experience positive psychological changes following ACEs, as referred to as PTG (posttraumatic growth), by re-establishing their perceptions about themselves, and perceptions of the outside world (Quan et al. 2022). Very few studies have examined the relationships between ACEs, PD and PTG, specially on an adult sample in Portugal. Therefore, this Dissertation and the study developed aim to assess impact of ACEs on PD and PTG, to determine the mediating effect of PTG between ACEs and PD, as well as to explore the mutual influence of these variables in an adult sample, in Portugal. This study used an online survey that included a sociodemographic questionnaire, The Portuguese-language version of the Family Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire to assess the report of ACEs; The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) to assess depressive and anxious symptomatology and The Postraumatic Growth Inventory for the Portuguese Population to assess the report of PTG. The sample consists of 521 participants aged between 18 and 80 years (mean = 31.32, SD = 12.28). Emotional abuse was the most reported ACE (59.7%) and women and sexual minorities presented more Total ACEs and Total PD, while older and heterosexual people showed more PTG. Total ACEs were positive and significant predictors of Total PD. Factor 2 of PTG "Change in the Perception of the Self and Life in General" was the strongest predictor of a lower perceived psychological distress. Total PTG did not mediate the relationship between Total ACEs and Total PD. The results demonstrate that PTG is not a protective factor against the long-term impact of ACEs on mental health. Therefore, it’s crucial to alert professionals to early mental health interventions with children, adolescents and families to ensure an adjusted development as well as therapeutic approaches to help individuals repair their trauma, thus promoting and improving the well-being and quality of life of populations.