Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mental Health among Students Seeking Psychological Counseling Services

Francesco Craig (), Rocco Servidio (), Maria Luigia Calomino, Francesca Candreva, Lucia Nardi, Adriana Palermo, Alberto Polito, Maria Francesca Spina, Flaviana Tenuta and Angela Costabile
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Francesco Craig: Department of Cultures, Education and Society (DICES), University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Rocco Servidio: Department of Cultures, Education and Society (DICES), University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Maria Luigia Calomino: Psychological Counseling Services, University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Francesca Candreva: Psychological Counseling Services, University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Lucia Nardi: Psychological Counseling Services, University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Adriana Palermo: Psychological Counseling Services, University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Alberto Polito: Psychological Counseling Services, University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Maria Francesca Spina: Psychological Counseling Services, University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Flaviana Tenuta: Department of Cultures, Education and Society (DICES), University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Angela Costabile: Department of Cultures, Education and Society (DICES), University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Recent years have seen a marked rise in the number of students accessing University Psychological Counseling (UPC) services, and their concerns have been increasingly severe. This study aimed to examine the impact of cumulative adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on mental health in students who had approached counseling services (N = 121) and students who had no experience with counseling services (N = 255). Participants completed an anonymous online self-report questionnaire measuring exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE-Q), psychological distress (General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), personality traits (PID-5), and coping strategies. We found that students who approached UPC services scored higher on cumulative ACEs than the non-counseling group. While ACE-Q score was a direct positive predictor of PHQ-9 ( p < 0.001), it did not predict GAD-7. Moreover, the results supported the existence of a mediation effect of avoidance coping, detachment, and psychoticism on the indirect effects of ACE-Q score on PHQ-9 or GAD-7. These results underlined the importance of screening for ACEs in a UPC setting because it can help identify students at higher risk for developing mental and physical health problems and provide them with early interventions and support.

Keywords: psychological counseling; university students; psychological distress; coping; personality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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