Psychological resilience and current stressful events as potential mediators between adverse childhood experiences and depression among college students in Eritrea.

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are well recognized remote risks for adulthood depression. However, proximal processes for this relationship is still an ongoing research endeavor, particularly among college students living in resource-limited settings. The mechanism of the impact of ACEs on depression may be attributed to mediators such as psychological resilience and current stressful events (CSEs).

METHODS

Data was obtained using a cross-sectional study from a national representative sample of college undergraduates in Eritrea (N = 507). To explain the mediated effect of ACEs on depression, a mediation analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed.

RESULTS

ACEs were found to have both direct (β = 0.102, p = 0.023) and indirect (β = 0.216, p < 0.001) effects on depression. The indirect effect was negatively mediated by psychological resilience and positively by CSEs. Respondents with higher levels of psychological resilience reported lower depressive symptoms and lower ACEs scores, while those with higher scores of either CSEs or ACEs reported more depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The impact of ACEs on depression may be reduced by managing current stressors and building students' psychological resilience.