Childhood adversities and psychopathology among military veterans in the US: the mediating role of social networks

McLafferty, M., Ross, J., Waterhouse-Bradley, B., & Armour, C. (2019). Childhood adversities and psychopathology among military veterans in the US: The mediating role of social networks. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 65, 47-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.05.001

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events during childhood that vary in intensity and include household dysfunctions (e.g., witnessing interpersonal violence) and maltreatment (e.g., physical or emotional abuse). ACEs are associated with adult experiences of mental health disorders, particularly amongst those who are exposed to additional stressful situations, such as military veterans. However, protective factors, such as social support, may counterbalance the effect of ACEs which may improve outcomes for veterans. With a large sample of veterans (N = 3,092), a latent class analysis approach was used to group veterans by the types of ACEs they experienced. Further, veterans’ quality (e.g., having someone to turn to during time of need) and quantity (i.e., the number sources of support one could turn to) of social support were examined as mediating factors of the association between ACEs and adult mental health (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], anxiety, and depression). Results show that veterans with ACEs who also reported having high-quality social support networks were less likely to report symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, or depression.

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