Adverse childhood experiences in relation to mood-, weight-, and eating-related outcomes in emerging adulthood: Does self-compassion play a buffering role?

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with a range of health problems, yet protective factors such as self-compassion may help buffer these associations. Objective: This study examined associations of distinct patterns of ACEs with depressive symptoms, body mass index (BMI), and disordered eating symptoms and investigated self-compassion as a potential protective factor. Participants and Setting: Data from a diverse sample of 1440 emerging adults (Mage = 22.2 years; 53.7% female; 80.3% with race/ethnicity other than non-Hispanic white) came from the population-based EAT 2018 (Eating and Activity over Time) study. Methods: Seven types of ACEs were retrospectively self-reported and used as model indicators in latent class analysis to identify patterns of ACEs. Self-compassion, depressive symptoms, height and weight (to calculate BMI), and disordered eating symptoms were also assessed. Demographic-adjusted regression models were conducted. Results: Three latent classes emerged: “low ACEs” (66.5% of the sample), “household dysfunction” (24.3%), and “household dysfunction and abuse” (9.1%). Compared to participants in the “low ACEs” class, participants in either latent class involving household dysfunction demonstrated higher levels of depressive and disordered eating symptoms. Participants in the “household dysfunction and abuse” class also had higher BMI. Associations differed by self-compassion for depressive symptoms (pinteraction = 0.01), BMI (pinteraction = 0.03), and disordered eating symptoms (pinteraction = 0.005), such that associations for latent classes characterized by ACEs were weaker with higher levels of self-compassion. Conclusions: These findings suggest self-compassion may act as a buffer against adverse mood-, weight-, and eating-related outcomes in the face of adversity and therefore may be an important intervention target.