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The role of perceived negative childhood experiences in the context of recent stress: Testing competing theoretical models

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Abstract

The present study evaluated the assumptions of stress sensitization and stress immunization hypotheses about the role of perceived negative childhood experiences on adult adjustment. The study used a longitudinal design with three waves spaced six months apart. The final sample consisted of 293 undergraduate students aged 19 to 30 years. We examined the linear and nonlinear main and moderating effects of perceived negative childhood experiences in the relationship between recent stressful events and both ability to bounce back and subjective well-being. The results yielded nonlinear moderating effects of negative childhood experiences on life satisfaction and the ability to bounce back, whereas a main effect was found for negative affect. A significant drop in the ability to bounce back in the context of high recent life stress was found only among individuals with a very high level of negative childhood experiences. We also found that an increase in the number of negative life events leads to a decrease in life satisfaction among individuals with both low- and high-intensity levels of negative childhood experiences. The present study offers the possibility of integrating different models of additive and interactive effects of perceived negative childhood experiences in the relationship between recent stressors and psychological adjustment.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Grant No. 179006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Dr Zorana Đinđića 2, Novi Sad, 21000, Serbia

    Milica Lazić, Veljko Jovanović & Vesna Gavrilov-Jerković

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  1. Milica Lazić
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  2. Veljko Jovanović
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  3. Vesna Gavrilov-Jerković
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Correspondence to Milica Lazić.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Novi Sad (Reference number: 10 14–144/1).

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Lazić, M., Jovanović, V. & Gavrilov-Jerković, V. The role of perceived negative childhood experiences in the context of recent stress: Testing competing theoretical models. Curr Psychol 42, 116–125 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01418-y

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