Adverse childhood experiences, Automatic negative thoughts and Psychological well-being among emerging adults

Abstract

Background: Adverse childhood experiences encompass stressful or traumatic events in early life, which may include emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse, as well as emotional and/or physical neglect, and can stem from household dysfunction. Automatic thoughts are mental processes or visualizations that arise in response to triggers from actions or events. An automatic thought is an immediate and spontaneous thought that emerges as the initial response to a given situation. Psychological well-being pertains to an individual’s overall emotional wellness, covering elements such as satisfaction with life, sense of purpose, and positive interpersonal connections. It indicates how individuals perceive the trajectory of their lives and their capacity to navigate life’s obstacles.

Aims: The current study explored the relation of adverse childhood experiences, automatic negative thoughts and psychological well-being among emerging adults .The study also evaluated whether adverse childhood experiences, automatic negative thoughts and psychological wellbeing changes with gender.

Methods: The sample comprised of 163 young adults between the age of 18 and 25. A convenience sampling method was adopted. Data was procured by using the tools, adverse childhood experiences questionnaire, automatic thoughts questionnaire and psychological wellbeing scale and a demographic form. Statistical analysis was done using Spearman’s rank order correlation analysis and Mann-Whitney U test.

Results and conclusion: Significant correlation between the variables, ACE, ANT and PWB. It also evidenced that adverse childhood experience shows a significant difference with respect to gender