Explaining Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Spiritual Well‐Being Through Resilient Mindset, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Turkish University Students

PURPOSE: This study addresses an important gap in understanding the mechanisms linking adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to spiritual well-being. Specifically, it tested the serial mediating roles of resilient mindset and psychological distress-depression, anxiety, and stress-in both independent and sequential pathways. By controlling for age and gender, the study aimed to clarify how resilience and distress jointly explain the relationship between ACEs and spiritual well-being. METHOD: A cross-sectional design was used to conduct this study. A total of 686 university students participated in this study (75.4% females; M = 21.5, SD = 2.21). FINDING: The results showed that higher ACEs were associated with lower spiritual well-being, with a significant total effect (B = -0.64). Significant indirect effects supported the mediating roles of resilient mindset (B = -0.06) and psychological distress, including depression (B = -0.14), anxiety (B = -0.09), and stress (B = -0.09). Serial mediation analyses further showed that ACEs were indirectly associated with spiritual well-being through resilient mindset, followed by depression (B = -0.03), anxiety (B = -0.01), and stress (B = -0.01). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that developing a resilient mindset and reducing psychological distress may be important in reducing the effects of ACEs on well-being.