Predictors of COVID-related Stress: The Role of Resilience and Prior Adverse Experiences

Abstract:

Emerging research has assessed psychological maladjustment to the coronavirus pandemic. Preliminary research of the relationship between prior adverse experiences and psychological outcomes in adults during the pandemic is mixed (Doom et al., 2021; Rutherford et al., 2021), and few studies include protective factors such as resilience. The current study investigates how the interaction between resilience and prior adverse experiences relates to COVID-related stress in young adults (/N/ = 385, 57.10% female) ages 18-29 (/M/ = 19.33 years). The Adverse Child Experiences (ACE) questionnaire and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CDRS) assessed prior adverse experiences and resilience. The COVID Stress Scale (CSS) measured stress during the pandemic. A hierarchical regression analyzed whether ACEs and resilience predicted COVID-related stress. The model was significant (/F/[3, 326] = 10.530, /p/ < .001), explaining 3.5% of the variance in COVID-related stress. ACE and resilience scores were significant predictors (/B/ = -2.89, /t/ = -4.45, /p/ < .001) and (/B/ = -.20, /t/ = -2.46, /p/ = .01) respectively. Both exhibited an inverse relationship with COVID-related stress.