Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are known to have deleterious effects on individuals across the life span, but less is known about how they affect grit, a strong predictor of achievements and well-being. This study seeks to investigate the effect of ACEs on grit in a sample of Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from 1,871 students across 12 universities in China. Findings indicated a significant effect of ACEs on grit, particularly abuse and neglect dimensions of ACE. Since grit is particularly important for professional success, those who have experienced abuse and neglect victimization may struggle throughout their education, and subsequently, in their careers. This calls for interventions to buffer the effects of ACEs on grit.
Highlights
IntroductionRegardless of geographic location, almost two-thirds of youth have experienced a significant adverse event (see Carlson et al, 2019 for review)
Studies have shown that, regardless of geographic location, almost two-thirds of youth have experienced a significant adverse event
Other individual Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) experiences that the sample answered affirmatively at a high rate were emotional neglect (12%), emotional and sexual abuse, physical abuse (6%), and mental illness in the household (5%)
Summary
Regardless of geographic location, almost two-thirds of youth have experienced a significant adverse event (see Carlson et al, 2019 for review). Using data from a sample of children and adolescents ages 8 to 17, Elmore et al (2020) found that youths with four or more ACEs had 2.29 times greater odds of experiencing depression than those with less than four ACEs. ACEs have been found to be positively associated with increased risk of self-injury and suicide attempts among adolescents (Isohookana et al, 2013) and suicide attempts among adults (Dube et al, 2001; Fuller-Thomson et al, 2016). The ACE paradigm has Adverse Childhood Experiences and Grit primarily examined the effects of ACEs through an additive lens, instead of focusing on any single form of maltreatment or abuse (Schütze et al, 2020)
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