Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA in Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Imad Zaheer

Second Advisor

Melissa Peckins

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been widely linked to poorer mental health outcomes, whereas positive childhood experiences (PCEs) have been shown to promote resilience and psychological well-being. However, less research has examined how combinations of adversity and positive experiences jointly relate to psychological functioning. The present study examined how profiles of adverse childhood experiences and positive childhood experiences relate to resilience and coping among college students and whether psychological flexibility mediates these relationships. Participants included 110 undergraduate and graduate students recruited from universities across the United States through research participation platforms and study recruitment materials. Participants were at least 18 years of age and currently enrolled in college. The sample included individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, with the largest proportion identifying as Hispanic/Latino/a/x. Participants completed an online survey assessing demographic characteristics, adverse childhood experiences (ACE-Q), positive childhood experiences (BCE-Q), psychological flexibility (Psy-Flex Scale), resilience (Brief Resilience Scale), and coping strategies using a shortened version of the Brief COPE. Participants were categorized into theoretical profiles based on ACEs and PCEs scores. However, due to limited representation in two profiles, analyses focused on two groups: Low ACE/High PCE and High ACE/High PCE. Independent-samples Welch t-tests were conducted to examine differences in resilience, coping and psychological flexibility between groups, and mediation analyses were used to test whether psychological flexibility mediated these relationships. Contrary to the hypotheses, results indicated no significant differences between the two groups on resilience, coping, and psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility was significantly associated with resilience but did not significantly mediate the relationship between childhood experience groups and the outcomes. These findings suggest that the presence of high levels of positive childhood experiences in both profile groups may help explain why individuals with differing levels of childhood adversity showed similar levels of resilience and coping. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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