Childhood Adversity, Stress and Adult Mental Health among Individuals with Severe Mental Illness

• In Event: 598 - Section on Sociology of Mental Health Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. Stress and Coping

Abstract

Stress proliferation may occur whenever chronic or a multitude of stressors have the ability to impact multiple areas of an individual’s life. Our research goal is to determine whether childhood adversity affects exposure to stress in later life within a population of individuals with severe mental illness. We assess the direct and indirect effects of early childhood adversity on perceptions of neighborhood disorder, discrimination, major life events, chronic stressors, and daily hassles on depressed mood and mastery. Using structural equation modeling, we analyze interview data of 214 individuals with severe mental illness who are engaged in the community mental health treatment system. Our preliminary results indicate that there are indirect effects of childhood adversity on adult mental health outcomes among a sample of individuals with severe mental illness. Childhood adversity is associated with mastery through its association with perceived discrimination stress and chronic stress. Childhood adversity has an indirect effect on depressed mood through its association with daily hassles and chronic stress. We discuss the implications of these findings and offer directions for future research.

Authors

• Struther Van Horn, Kent State University

• Richard Adams, Kent State University

• Natalie Bonfine, Northeast Ohio Medical University

• Christian Ritter, Northeast Ohio Medical University