Emotional well-being in adulthood
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Pathways between childhood adversity and adult mental health outcomes: modelling the role of empathy, mentalization and perceived social support as psychological mechanisms for resilience.
IRAS ID
271663
Contact name
Angus MacBeth
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Not applicable , Not applicable
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 18 days
Research summary
Although the negative consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is well known, there is evidence that adversity may be as well associated with positive outcomes. Research with non-clinical populations has shown that people who experienced adversity early in life are more likely to develop empathy in adulthood. However, no research has explored this relationship in clinical populations as well as whether empathy relates to lower or higher levels of distress. Further it has been argued that the ability to mentalize helps people cope with intense feelings. However the empirical evidence for this is limited. Finally, social support can positively influence individuals’ well-being. The importance of creating trauma-informed services has been incorporated in Scotland’s Mental Health Strategy 2017–2027. Hence, given the potential clinical significance of this work, this project seeks to contribute to the literature on ACEs by exploring whether certain psychological variables (empathy, mentalization, perceived social support, and self-concept) may influence the relationship between ACEs and mental health outcomes.
A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey design will be used in which measures of ACEs and other psychological variables are completed by clinical and non-clinical populations. The study will consist of a web-based survey with non-clinical adult populations and a paper-based survey with NHS service users who will be recruited from the NHS Fife and will have been offered 1:1 or group therapy within psychology or psychiatry. Potential settings for the clinical population will include community health centres and hospitals of the NHS Fife. Participants will be invited to complete 6 short questionnaires and a demographics section. Having two groups will allow comparisons between clinical and non-clinical populations. Statistical analyses (e.g.mediation) will be used to explore ACEs and their association with the key psychological variables. Participants should be over 18, fluent in English, and able to provide informed consent (for both surveys).REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
20/SS/0013
Date of REC Opinion
7 Feb 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion