(PS4-C73) The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Anxiety: Roles of Adolescent Climate Change Stress and Civic Engagement in 2020

Adolescents are growing up in a uniquely unprecedented environment marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and significantly stressful events of 2020 and beyond. These experiences, such as extreme weather events due to climate change and sociopolitical unrest, are beginning to show impacts on functioning across the lifespan. Adolescents are undergoing a developmental stage that is critical for mental health trajectories, making them vulnerable to the negative effects of modern stressors. A mechanism by which to explore these negative effects is via adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs increased alongside the significant events of 2020 and can lead to psychological impairments such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders. Due to the increasing prevalence of ACEs and their psychological effects, continued research on ACEs is important for understanding current mental health trajectories. Given today’s unique socio-ecological climate, it is also crucial for research to explore modern factors impacting the relationship between adolescent ACEs and mental health outcomes. Climate change stress and civic engagement are two factors of particular importance to today’s adolescents. Children and adolescents are more likely to worry about climate change than any other age group, leading to incidences of climate-related depression and anxiety. Furthermore, in the face of climate change and other social justice issues, opportunities for adolescent civic engagement have surged. The current study will be one of the first to examine the impact of these modern socio-ecological factors on mental health trajectories in ACE-exposed populations.

Using a cross-sectional survey design, the current study examines adolescent civic engagement (model 1) and climate change stress (model 2) as moderators in the relationship between adolescent ACEs and anxiety levels. All participants were 13-17 years old and living in the U.S. Recruitment was conducted via Qualtrics, which oversampled for BIPOC individuals to increase sample diversity. Model 1 will analyze data from 100 adolescents who have experienced at least one ACE, while model 2 will examine data from 57 adolescents who have experienced at least one extreme weather event since January 1, 2020. The survey included questionnaires such as the ACEs Questionnaire, the PROMIS Anxiety - Self-Report, the Youth Inventory of Involvement, and the Extreme Weather Impact Questionnaire. Two moderated hierarchical regression analyses will be performed using responses from these measures. It is predicted that climate change stress will act as a risk factor in exacerbating the effect of ACEs on adolescent anxiety levels. Adolescent civic engagement, on the other hand, is expected to act as a protective factor in buffering the effect of ACEs on adolescent anxiety levels. 

The findings will have implications for modern community-level prevention strategies for adolescent mental health. Results are anticipated to support the need for increased cognitive-behavioral therapy services that focus on climate change stress and facilitate opportunities for adolescent civic engagement. As modern stressors continue to evolve, these services will improve mental health now and in generations to come.