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Childhood experiences affect psychosocial well-being and mental health across the life course for better or worse. The aim of the present study is to investigate how adverse childhood experiences before the age of 18 impact psychological functioning in young adulthood, and whether social information processing and emotion regulation may mediate these associations.
The study plans to recruit 5000 young adults aged 18 to 21 representative of the German speaking Swiss population. Participant will be invited to the study by mail. Addresses stem from a Swiss sampling registry ("Stichprobenregister SRPH") and are provided by the Swiss Statistical Office. Access to this address lists is reserved to studies of national interest that are funded by the Swiss National Science foundation. Data collection will be conducted online with a REDCap survey following an accelerated cohort design. After the baseline measurement (w1), three follow ups are planned after 1 year (w2), 2 years (w3) and 3 years (w4), resulting in ages 18 to 24 being covered. The primary outcome will be psychosocial functioning across the study period.
Primary objective:
The primary objective of the study is to analyse the longitudinal associations between childhood experiences, emotion regulation, social information processing, social support and psychosocial functioning in young adults.
Secondary objectives are
to examine the effect of childhood experiences on emotion regulation and social information processing.
to investigate the effects of emotion regulation and social information processing on the quality of friendships and social support.
to analyse the longitudinal associations of childhood experiences, emotion regulation, social information processing, social support and the single variables that constitute the composite score of psychosocial functioning, e.g. well-being, psychosocial distress, risk behaviours.
to investigate the associations between ACE, emotion regulation and social information processing and seeking professional support.
Further exploratory hypotheses investigate whether there are patterns of ACE which show differential associations with emotion regulation, social information processing, support and psychosocial functioning or single variables of psychosocial functioning.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| age 18 | n=1017 | ||
| age 19 | n=676 | ||
| age 20 | n=337 | ||
| age 21 | n=500 |
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| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Latent composite score for psychosocial functioning | A single latent score for overall psychosocial functioning will be created out of the following individual variables using the MPlus software: Well-being (Ryff & Keyes 1995), Internalizing (Spitzer et al., 2011) and externalizing (Renshaw & Cook 2019) psychopathological symptoms, psychosocial burden (Brodbeck et al., 2007) and functioning in social und and work situations (Mundt et al., 2002). A higher score indicates better overall psychological functioning. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Latent composite score for psychosocial functioning | A single latent score for overall psychosocial functioning will be created out of the following individual variables using the MPlus software: Well-being (Ryff & Keyes 1995), Internalizing (Spitzer et al., 2011) and externalizing (Renshaw & Cook 2019) psychopathological symptoms, psychosocial burden (Brodbeck et al., 2007) and functioning in social und and work situations (Mundt et al., 2002). A higher score indicates better overall psychological functioning. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Psychological Well-being | Six dimensions (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance) measured with Ryffs Well-being scale (Ryff & Keyes 1995), 42 item Version (Abbott et al., 2010). Scores for the subscales range from 7 to 42, and scores for the total scale from 42 to 294. A higher score indicates better well-being. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Psychological Well-being | Six dimensions (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance) measured with Ryffs Well-being scale (Ryff & Keyes 1995), 42 item Version (Abbott et al., 2010). Scores for the subscales range from 7 to 42, and scores for the total scale from 42 to 294. A higher score indicates better well-being. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Help seeking behaviour | We asked whether participants ever sought professional help due to psychological and social problems. If yes, we asked about whether they sought help in eight different types of support setting (e.g. psychotherapy, general practitioner, psychological service at school). | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Social information processing: Social Intelligence | Measured with the 14-item Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale (Silvera et al., 2001). The total score ranges from 14 to 98, with a higher score indicating a higher social intelligence. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Social information processing: Social Intelligence |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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General population of 18 to 21 years old from the German speaking region of Switzerland. Adresses stem from the Swiss household survey and are provided by the Federal Statistical Office.
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Jeannette Brodbeck, PHD | University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Applied Science Northwestern Switzerland | Olten | 4600 | Switzerland |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12615092 | Background | Bernstein DP, Stein JA, Newcomb MD, Walker E, Pogge D, Ahluvalia T, Stokes J, Handelsman L, Medrano M, Desmond D, Zule W. Development and validation of a brief screening version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Child Abuse Negl. 2003 Feb;27(2):169-90. doi: 10.1016/s0145-2134(02)00541-0. | |
| 23209385 | Background |
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De-identified individual participant data will be available on request to interested researchers
After the end of data collection (2025)
Access to these data is permitted for scientific purposes on request. A data access agreement will be signed and the source of the data (including the funding agency) needs to be acknowledged.
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000080103 | Emotional Regulation |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000068356 | Self-Control |
| D012919 | Social Behavior |
| D001519 | Behavior |
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| Internalizing symptoms | Measured with the 18-item Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) (Spitzer et al., 2011), containing questions about depressivity, anxiety and somatic symptoms. The total score ranges from 18 to 90, and a higher score indicates more internalizing symptoms. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Internalizing symptoms | Measured with the 18-item Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) (Spitzer et al., 2011), containing questions about depressivity, anxiety and somatic symptoms. The total score ranges from 18 to 90, and a higher score indicates more internalizing symptoms. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Externalizing symptoms | Measured with the 10-item Externalizing Problems Screener (Renshaw & Cook 2019). Total score ranges from 0 to 40, with a higher score indicating more externalizing symptoms. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Externalizing symptoms | Measured with the 10-item Externalizing Problems Screener (Renshaw & Cook 2019). Total score ranges from 0 to 40, with a higher score indicating more externalizing symptoms. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Functioning in social und and work situations | Measured with the 5-item Work and Social Adjustment Scale (Mundt et al., 2002), measuring impairment in different social and work situations. The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with a higher score indicating worse functioning in social and work situations. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Functioning in social und and work situations | Measured with the 5-item Work and Social Adjustment Scale (Mundt et al., 2002), measuring impairment in different social and work situations. The total score ranges from 0 to 40, with a higher score indicating worse functioning in social and work situations. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Help seeking behaviour |
We asked whether participants ever sought professional help due to psychological and social problems. If yes, we asked about whether they sought help in eight different types of support setting (e.g. psychotherapy, general practitioner, psychological service at school). |
| change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Social Support | Measured with the 14-Item social support scale (Fydrich et al., 2009). The total score ranges from 14 to 70, with a higher score indicating better social support. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Social Support | Measured with the 14-Item social support scale (Fydrich et al., 2009). The total score ranges from 14 to 70, with a higher score indicating better social support. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Substance use | Participants were asked how frequently they used tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, party drugs, cocaine/heroin, other drugs and pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical use. For substances they used, they were additionally asked the age of first use and the 4-item Addiction Screener (Schluter et al., 2018). The total score for the addiction screener ranges from 0 to 16, with a higher score indicating worse outcomes. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Substance use | Participants were asked how frequently they used tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, party drugs, cocaine/heroin, other drugs and pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical use. For substances they used, they were additionally asked the age of first use and the 4-item Addiction Screener (Schluter et al., 2018). The total score for the addiction screener ranges from 0 to 16, with a higher score indicating worse outcomes. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Psychosocial Burden | Participants were asked to which degree they felt burdened in 13 different areas of life, for example school/work, sleep, romantic relationship, physical health, financial situation (Brodbeck et al., 2007). The total score ranges from 0 to 130, with a higher score indicating more burden. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Psychosocial Burden | Participants were asked to which degree they felt burdened in 13 different areas of life, for example school/work, sleep, romantic relationship, physical health, financial situation (Brodbeck et al., 2007). The total score ranges from 0 to 130, with a higher score indicating more burden. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
Measured with the 14-item Tromsø Social Intelligence Scale (Silvera et al., 2001). The total score ranges from 14 to 98, with a higher score indicating a higher social intelligence. |
| change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Social information processing: Hostile interpretation bias | Measured with the 32-item Hostile interpretation bias scale (Dillon et al., 2016). The total score for the hostile scale (16 items) ranges from 0 to 96, with a higher score indicating a more hostile interpretation. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Social information processing: Hostile interpretation bias | Measured with the 32-item Hostile interpretation bias scale (Dillon et al., 2016). The total score for the hostile scale (16 items) ranges from 0 to 96, with a higher score indicating a more hostile interpretation. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Social information processing: Rejection sensitivity | Measured with the 18-item Rejection sensitivity questionnaire (Berenson et al., 2009). The total score ranges from 9 to 54, with a higher score indicating a higher rejection sensitivity. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Social information processing: Rejection sensitivity | Measured with the 18-item Rejection sensitivity questionnaire (Berenson et al., 2009). The total score ranges from 9 to 54, with a higher score indicating a higher rejection sensitivity. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Emotion regulation: Perseverative Thinking | Measured with the 15-item Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (Ehring et al., 2011).The total score ranges from 0 to 60, with a higher score indicating more preservative thinking. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Emotion regulation: Perseverative Thinking | Measured with the 15-item Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (Ehring et al., 2011).The total score ranges from 0 to 60, with a higher score indicating more preservative thinking. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Emotion regulation: Emotion Reactivity | Measured with the 21-item Emotion Reactivity Scale (Nock et al., 2008). The total score ranges from 0 to 84, with a higher score indicating a higher emotional reactivity. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Emotion regulation: Emotion Reactivity | Measured with the 21-item Emotion Reactivity Scale (Nock et al., 2008). The total score ranges from 0 to 84, with a higher score indicating a higher emotional reactivity. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
| Emotion regulation: Self-Efficacy for Managing Emotions | Measured with the 7-item Self-Efficacy for Managing Emotions scale (PROMIS; https://www.healthmeasures.net/explore-measurement-systems/promis). The total score ranges from 7 to 49, with a higher score indicating a better self-efficacy for managing emotions. | a baseline measurement (w1) |
| Emotion regulation: Self-Efficacy for Managing Emotions | Measured with the 7-item Self-Efficacy for Managing Emotions scale (PROMIS; https://www.healthmeasures.net/explore-measurement-systems/promis). The total score ranges from 7 to 49, with a higher score indicating a better self-efficacy for managing emotions. | change over 3 years (from w1 to w4) |
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| 41437003 | Derived | Marmet S, Botschi SIR, Vetsch N, Stallmann L, Brodbeck J. Exposure frequencies of single adverse childhood experiences and their association with psychological distress: evidence from a cohort study among emerging Swiss adults. BMC Public Health. 2025 Dec 24;26(1):482. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-25999-6. |
| 35410310 | Derived | Brodbeck J, Botschi SIR, Vetsch N, Berger T, Schmidt SJ, Marmet S. Investigating emotion regulation and social information processing as mechanisms linking adverse childhood experiences with psychosocial functioning in young swiss adults: the FACE epidemiological accelerated cohort study. BMC Psychol. 2022 Apr 11;10(1):99. doi: 10.1186/s40359-022-00798-5. |