Explaining Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Spiritual Well‐Being Through Resilient Mindset, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Turkish University Students

TL;DR

This study explores how negative childhood experiences affect spiritual well-being in Turkish university students, finding that resilience and mental health play key roles.

Contribution

The study identifies serial mediation pathways involving resilient mindset and psychological distress in the ACEs-spiritual well-being relationship.

Findings

Higher ACEs are associated with lower spiritual well-being (B = -0.64).

Resilient mindset and psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress) mediate the ACEs-spiritual well-being link.

Strengthening resilience and reducing distress may buffer ACEs' negative effects.

Abstract

This study addresses an important gap in understanding the mechanisms linking adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to spiritual well‐being. Specifically, it tested the serial mediating roles of resilient mindset and psychological distress—depression, anxiety, and stress—in both independent and sequential pathways. By controlling for age and gender, the study aimed to clarify how resilience and distress jointly explain the relationship between ACEs and spiritual well‐being.

A cross‐sectional design was used to conduct this study. A total of 686 university students participated in this study (75.4% females; M  =  21.5, SD  =  2.21).

The results showed that higher ACEs were associated with lower spiritual well‐being, with a significant total effect (B = −0.64). Significant indirect effects supported the mediating roles of resilient mindset (B = −0.06) and psychological distress, including depression (B = −0.14), anxiety (B = −0.09), and stress (B = −0.09). Serial mediation analyses further showed that ACEs were indirectly associated with spiritual well‐being through resilient mindset, followed by depression (B = −0.03), anxiety (B = −0.01), and stress (B = −0.01).

These findings suggest that developing a resilient mindset and reducing psychological distress may be important in reducing the effects of ACEs on well‐being.

This study investigates how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) influence spiritual well‐being among Turkish university students. Findings reveal that higher ACEs are linked to lower spiritual well‐being. Resilient mindset and psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) act as independent and sequential mediators in this relationship. Specifically, ACEs reduce resilient mindsets, which in turn increases depression, anxiety, and stress, ultimately lowering spiritual well‐being. Strengthening resilience and alleviating psychological distress may help buffer the negative impact of ACEs on well‐being.

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