About this paper symposium

---

Panel information
Panel 6. Developmental Psychopathology

Paper #1
An Introduction to Adverse and Positive Adult Experiences
Author information	Role
Dr. Joshua Mersky, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States	Presenting author
ChienTi Plummer Lee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States	Non-presenting author
Xiyao Liu, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Despite five decades of research aimed at understanding how individuals adapt to adversity, novel risk and resilience frameworks continue to emerge. For instance, extending the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) literature, new measures and models of adverse adult experiences (AAEs) have recently surfaced, while continued interest in promotive and protective factors has spawned the study of positive childhood experiences. Building on this work, the current investigation explores the promotive and protective effects associated with positive adult experiences (PAEs). Methods: Data originated from the Strong and Stable Families Study, an investigation of risk and resilience among more than 2,000 families with children in Wisconsin. Nearly one-third of the sample received support from a Family Resource Center (FRC), which are community hubs that offer educational, social, and economic services to strengthen families. Primary caregivers completed a survey that included the Adult Experiences Survey, a validated measure of five AAEs linked to a partner/spouse (e.g., physical and emotional abuse) and five socioeconomic AAEs (e.g., homelessness; discrimination). A composite score was divided into three AAE subgroups (0; 1-3; 4 or more). Participants completed a PAE measure composed of six Likert-scaled items (sample item: How often do you feel your family stands by you during difficult times?), with responses ranging from never (1) to always (5). PAEs were dichotomized to denote frequent positive experience; participants were coded as high in positive experiences if they endorsed all six items. Outcomes included brief measures of depression symptoms (PHQ-2) and anxiety symptoms (GAD-2) and single-item measures of global health and quality of life from the PROMIS-10. Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed to assess the occurrence and co-occurrence of AAEs and PAEs. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to estimate the main effects of AAEs and PAEs on study outcomes. Separate analyses added an interaction term to test whether PAEs moderated the effects of AAEs. All multivariate analyses controlled for FRC participation, household income, and caregiver gender, age, and race/ethnicity. Results: Participants reported 2.4 AAEs and 4.5 PAEs on average. To illustrate, 83.3% often felt their family frequently stands by them, and 63.8% often felt a sense of belonging in their community. Significant bivariate correlations were observed between all PAEs, AAEs, and outcomes (p< .001). ANCOVA results confirmed that PAEs were negatively associated with depression and anxiety symptoms (p< .001) and positively associated with quality of life and global health ratings (p< .001). Interaction tests indicated that frequent PAEs moderated the effects of AAEs on depression (p< .001), anxiety (p = .008), and quality of life (p = .042); the PAE-AAE interaction was marginally significant in the global health model (p = .052) Conclusions and Implications: PAEs were linked to salubrious outcomes even after accounting for AAEs, and they appeared to buffer against the deleterious effects of AAEs on health and well-being. The significance of the findings is magnified by the temporal proximity of AAEs and PAEs, which, when compared to caregiver ACEs, are more likely to have direct effects on children and their caregivers.

Paper #2
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Depressive Symptoms Across Adolescence and Adulthood
Author information	Role
Linghua Jiang, Syracuse University, United States	Presenting author
Sara A. Vasilenko, Syracuse University, United States	Non-presenting author
Xiafei Wang, Syracuse University, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Introduction: Since the original ACE study, research has examined the impact of ACEs on health outcomes using the cumulative risk approach. However, this approach has been criticized for treating all adversities equally, leading researchers to adopt latent class analysis (LCA) to address the limitation. Recent research has used LCA to link certain ACEs combinations to stronger associations with depression (Barboza, 2018; Lee, Kim & Terry, 2020), though no studies have explored whether these associations vary by age and gender. Drawing on vulnerability stress theory, we hypothesized that the combination of different types of ACEs may contribute to different levels of depressive symptoms across adolescence and emerging adulthood. In addition, we hypothesized that depressive symptom would vary among female and male adolescents and adults exposed to different ACE clusters. Methods: Data were drawn from previous four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; N = 3,342, 55.6% female). The present study included 10 types of conventional ACEs, including child maltreatment and household dysfunction, and five expanded ACEs: witnessing violence, violence victimization, parental death, foster home experience, and material hardship. We first used Latent Gold to identify the most suitable model. After the model selection, we assigned individuals to different latent classes based on the posterior probabilities. Then, dichotomous indicators of membership in each class (except for a reference class) were entered in the model as time-varying predictors to test the effect of class membership on depressive symptoms over age. Results: A 5-class model was identified: (1) Low ACEs, (2) Parental Alcohol Use and Divorce, (3) Violence, (4) Abuse and Neglect, and (5) Multiple ACEs. In general, compared to male participants, female participants had higher levels of depressive symptoms for all classes. Compared to other classes, the Multiple ACEs class was associated with the highest level of depressive symptoms among female participants at age 14 and among male participants at age 16. The association between Multiple ACEs classification and depressive symptoms was stronger for women than men at ages 23 and 27.5. The association between being in the Parental Alcohol Use and Divorce class and depressive symptoms was stronger for female participants than male participants between ages 13.5 and 16, and ages 23 and 30. Being in the Abuse and Neglect class was significantly associated with higher level of depressive symptoms for female, but not male, participants between ages 19 and 22. Conclusions and Implications: The Multiple ACEs class was associated with highest level of depressive symptoms in mid-adolescence for boys and girls, reinforcing research linking cumulative ACE exposure to mental health concerns. Associations between class membership and depression were often stronger for female participants, pointing to the need for further inquiries into the synergistic effects of early adversity and female gender on the timing and persistence of depressive symptoms and other mental health concerns.

Paper #3
Reliability & Validity of Protective Experiences across Development
Author information	Role
Mrs. Jennifer Watrous, Oklahoma State University, United States	Presenting author
Jens E. Jespersen, Oklahoma State University, United States	Non-presenting author
Melissa Dobson, Oklahoma State University, United States	Non-presenting author
Dian Yu, Oklahoma State University, United States	Non-presenting author
Jennifer Hays-Grudo, Oklahoma State University, United States	Non-presenting author
Amanda S. Morris, Oklahoma State University, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Introduction: Much research has focused on measurement of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; Felitti et al., 1998), while fewer studies have researched the reliability and validity of protective childhood experiences. Furthermore, an intergenerational approach to understanding caregiver's adverse and protective experiences on their child's development is necessary to break the cycle of adversity. The Intergenerational and Cumulative Adverse and Resilience Experiences (ICARE) model expands previous theories to incorporate both the neurobiological adaptations to ACEs as well as the cumulative effects of protective factors found in positive social relationships and access to resources (Hays-Grudo et al., 2021). This framework provides insight into how environmental influences can shape an individuals' internal functioning and external behavior, while recognizing the complex fluctuations in developmental and social experiences, acknowledging the intergenerational transmission of adversity, and incorporating the entirety of child maltreatment and resilience research. Using the ICARE framework, this study examines the reliability and validity of protective and compensatory experiences (PACEs) in childhood and across development, with parents reporting on their own and their children’s experiences. Methods: Parents and caregivers in the United States (44.2% Black or African American; 55.2% identified as women) were invited to participate in an online survey asking about their child (n=286; Mage=9.0 years; SDage=4.2; 60.9% female) with questionnaires asking about parent’s retrospective ACEs (Felitti et al., 1998), lifespan PACEs (Morris & Hays-Grudo, 2020), and current mental health. Furthermore, parents reported on their child's ACEs, PACEs, mental health, and emotion regulation. Questionnaires were grouped based on child's age, such that 0-5 years were given measures appropriate for infants/toddlers, 6-11 years for early childhood measure, and 12-18 years for adolescent measures. Data collection is ongoing, and the presentation will include additional data on measure reliability, validity, and implications for understanding the intergenerational cycle of adversity and resilience in context. Analysis Cronbach's alpha for both parent's and child's protective experiences on a Likert scale show good internal reliability (0.789-0.953), indicating that there is consistency across items (see Table 1). All correlations are in expected directions, such that more parent ACEs are associated with more symptoms of depression and anxiety and fewer PACEs, with a similar pattern for children across all ages (see Table 2). Notably, parent's current PACEs were not significantly associated with baby PACEs. Additional analyses will examine associations between ACEs and PACEs controlling for demographic characteristics as well as examining differences among children of different ages. Discussion: Childhood adversity is a strong predictor of later mental health problems, but it is not the only vital experience during childhood. Childhood protective experiences are also associated with adult mental health, and even more importantly with the next generation's occurrence of adverse and protective experiences. Research that integrates a strengths-based approach is an advancement in the field of adversity and resilience research. Further, utilizing a reliable and valid measure of resiliency across the lifespan will provide potential for comparisons across caregivers and children as well as how specific experiences relate to different indicators of adjustment.

Paper #4
Adverse and Benevolent Childhood Experiences and Lifetime Self-Harm: A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective
Author information	Role
Arianna S. Lane, University of Denver, United States	Presenting author
Jillian S. Merrick, University of Denver, United States	Non-presenting author
Angela J. Narayan, University of Denver, United States	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Introduction: Self-harm is an urgent and growing public-health issue, as rates of suicide attempts (SA) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) have increased over the last decade (Bommersbach et al., 2022; Wester et al., 2018). Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and particularly, childhood maltreatment (a dimension of ACEs including abuse and neglect), are well-established risk factors for later self-harm. Less is known about how other dimensions of childhood experiences, including children’s exposure to family dysfunction, (i.e., caregiver mental illness, substance abuse, incarceration; domestic violence; and separation/divorce) and benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) relate to self-harm. This study examined associations between childhood maltreatment, exposure to family dysfunction, BCEs, and lifetime self-harm behavior in underserved adults. Hypothesis: Females and males with a history of both NSSI and SA will have higher levels of both ACEs dimensions and lower levels of BCEs compared to individuals with no lifetime NSSI and no lifetime SA. Study population: Participants were 242 low-income, ethnically diverse females/childbearing individuals (M = 28.46 years, SD = 5.72, range = 18-41) and their 148 male partners (M = 30.23 years, SD = 7.39, range = 18-55). Methods: Participants completed well-validated instruments on childhood maltreatment, family dysfunction, BCEs, and self-harm. Females and their partners were separately categorized into four groups based on lifetime self-harm (Tables 1 & 2): 1-No history of self-harm (“Neither”); 2-SA only; 3-NSSI only; and 4-NSSI and SA (“Both”). Results: ANOVA results indicated that females and males in the “Both” groups reported significantly higher childhood maltreatment (females and males: p < .001) than those in the “Neither” group. Females and males in the “Both” groups also reported significantly higher family dysfunction (females and males: p < .001) than those in the “Neither” group. Males in the “Both” groups reported significantly lower BCEs (p = .003) than the “Neither” group (See Tables 1 and 2). After controlling for covariates in a multinomial logistic regression, females with higher childhood maltreatment had significantly greater odds of membership in the “Both” group versus the “Neither” group (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = [1.00, 1.72], p =.047), and females with higher family dysfunction also had significantly greater odds of membership in the “Both” group (OR = 1.38, 95% CI = [1.02, 1.86], p =.04). Males with higher childhood maltreatment had significantly greater odds of membership in the “Both” group (OR = 2.66, 95% CI = [1.38, 5.12], p = .004), the “SA Only” group (OR = 2.19, 95% CI = [1.21, 3.97], p = .01), and the “NSSI Only” group (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = [1.11, 2.98], p = .02) versus the “Neither” group. Discussion: Higher levels of maltreatment and family dysfunction and lower BCEs may increase risk for lifetime engagement in self-harm, with some differential effects in females versus males. Childhood maltreatment emerged as the most robust predictor of higher odds for both SA and NSSI in females and males, suggesting that screening for this ACEs dimension in mental health care may help to prevent future self-harm behaviors.

⇦ Back to session