Affectionate Communication Moderates the Effect of Adverse Childhood Experience on Mental Well-Being

Abstract

Affectionate communication is a prosocial behavior that exhibits a stress-buffering effect, ameliorating the influence of stressors on stress reactivity. Whereas previous research has demonstrated such an effect on physiological and health-related reactions to acute stressors, the current study explores the ability of affectionate communication to moderate the influence of early childhood adversity on adult mental well-being. Using a Census-matched probability sample of U.S. American adults (N = 727), this study documents that both depressive symptoms and stress are inversely related to trait affectionate communication and that trait affectionate communication moderates the effect of adverse childhood experiences on these outcomes.