Date of Award

Spring 2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Committee Chairperson

Lauren Brumley, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Michael Gawrysiak, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Michael Roche, Ph.D.

Abstract

There is a high prevalence of depression among college students, and the consequences of untreated depression negatively impact those students’ academic and life outcomes. The following study analyzes the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the development of depression in college years as potentially mediated by neuroticism and rumination factors. The purpose of this research is to fill a gap in the current literature to determine whether neuroticism and rumination act together as mechanisms in conferring depression in college students following ACEs. Data from four questionnaires administered to undergraduate students at West Chester University (n = 127, 55.5% female, 82% White, 67.2% first year) was analyzed via SPSS for descriptive statistics, correlations, and mediation using the PROCESS MACRO. The results yielded significant correlational relationships analytic variables (i.e., ACEs, neuroticism, rumination, and depression) and showed a significant mediation effect within the model. Together, neuroticism and rumination mediated the relationship between ACEs and depression, suggesting that personality and emotion regulation styles are mechanisms by which ACEs increase the likelihood of developing depression in college. The findings contribute to growing research to inform the development of proactive treatments and interventions for victims of ACEs to reduce the likelihood for those individuals of developing depression during crucial college years.

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