About this session

Thursday, 1:40 PM - 3:10 PM

New Insights into Adverse and Positive Experiences

Extending the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) literature, rapid conceptual and methodological advances in recent years have helped to elucidate the implications of adversity throughout the life course. At the same time, continued interest in resilience processes have produced new insights into processes that counteract adversity. This symposium presents four studies that represent cutting-edge themes in this area, including adverse and positive experiences in childhood and adulthood, intergenerational mechanisms of transmission, and advanced measurement and modeling techniques.

Study 1 analyzes data gathered from more than 2,000 households in the Strong and Stable Families Study and finds that positive adult experiences (PAEs) are directly linked to health and well-being and that PAEs buffer against the effects of adverse adult experiences (AAEs). Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 3,342), Study 2 employs time-varying effect modeling and latent class analysis, revealing gender differences in the associated effects of ACEs on depressive symptoms across adolescence and emerging adulthood. Guided by the Intergenerational and Cumulative Adverse and Resilience Experiences model, Study 3 analyzes survey data collected from 286 caregivers and demonstrates that measures of protective and compensatory experiences (PACEs) are reliable and valid at multiple stages of development. Study 4 analyzes data gathered from 242 women and 148 male partners, confirming that ACEs are associated with non-suicidal self-injury while benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) protect against the impact of ACEs. Taken together, these studies generate new insights into risk and resilience processes over the life course.

Paper #1
Title	An Introduction to Adverse and Positive Adult Experiences
Presenting author	Dr. Joshua Mersky, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States

Paper #2
Title	Adverse Childhood Experiences and Depressive Symptoms Across Adolescence and Adulthood
Presenting author	Linghua Jiang, Syracuse University, United States

Paper #3
Title	Reliability & Validity of Protective Experiences across Development
Presenting author	Mrs. Jennifer Watrous, Oklahoma State University, United States

Paper #4
Title	Adverse and Benevolent Childhood Experiences and Lifetime Self-Harm: A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective
Presenting author	Arianna S. Lane, University of Denver, United States

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Session chair
Linghua Jiang, Syracuse University, United States

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