Breaking the cycle: The protective role of perceived social support in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, emotional dysregulation and depression in university students

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are significant risk factors for depression. Emotion dysregulation has been identified as a key mechanism linking ACEs to depressive symptoms. However, protective factors that could mitigate this pathway are still poorly understood. These factors include perceived social support - particularly from friends, family and significant others - which could play a crucial role in mitigating the negative impact of ACEs on mental health. Objectives: We investigated the relationship between ACEs and depressive symptoms in university students by examining the mediating role of emotion dysregulation. The transition to university is a critical time for developing new social interactions and adjusting one's emotion regulation skills. Therefore, we also investigated whether different forms of perceived social support moderate the relationship between ACEs and depressive symptoms, hypothesizing that higher levels of social support weaken the association between emotional dysregulation and depressive symptoms. Participants and methods: 674 university students completed surveys on sociodemographic and clinical data (i.e., ACEs, emotion regulation, perceived social support, and depression). A moderated mediation analysis was conducted. Results: ACEs were positively associated with depression through emotion dysregulation. Furthermore, higher levels of social support from friends and significant others, but not from family, attenuated the effects of emotional dysregulation on depressive symptoms. Conclusions: This study emphasizes the importance of perceived social support from friends and significant others in reducing depressive symptoms in individuals with ACEs. From a clinical perspective, these results highlight the potential of strengthening social networks and emotion regulation in therapeutic interventions.