Term of Award
Summer 2023
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Psychology
Committee Chair
Thresa Yancey
Committee Member 1
Dorthie Cross
Committee Member 2
Ryan Couillou
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) represent types of adversity (e.g., abuse, household dysfunction) that occur in childhood. These experiences are linked to a variety of negative consequences including increased mortality, disability, and participation in risky behaviors (Campbell et al., 2016; Felitti et al., 1998). While risky behaviors are associated with maladaptive coping, hardiness is related to adaptive coping and personal growth. However, it is unclear how possessing hardiness may impact the relationship between ACEs and risky behaviors (Bethell et al., 2014). Moreover, a gap in the literature exists and in-depth examinations of risky behaviors (e.g., risky sex, substance use) are less prevalent than research on health issues (e.g., diabetes) related to ACEs. Therefore, this study aimed to fill these gaps and explore the relationship between ACEs and risky behavior and how hardiness may moderate this relationship. A convenience sample of participants completed self-report measures of these constructs. It was hypothesized that experiencing ACEs predicts engagement in risky behavior, increased hardiness predicts less engagement in risky behavior, and hardiness weakens the relationship between ACEs and risky behavior. Simple linear regressions showed ACEs is a significant predictor for risky behavior, while hardiness is not a significant predictor for risky behavior. Non-rural participants reported experiencing more ACEs and expecting to engage in more risky behaviors in the future. Women and genderqueer participants reported more ACEs than men. Women, who reported less hardiness than men, showed higher levels of hardiness than genderqueer participants.
OCLC Number
1365384263
Catalog Permalink
https://galileo-georgiasouthern.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01GALI_GASOUTH/1r4bu70/alma9916470447502950
Recommended Citation
Heard, Lindsey S., "Adverse Childhood Experiences and Risky Behavior: The Buffering Effect of Hardiness" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2370.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2370
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
