Is it possible to find meaning in life after adverse childhood experiences? Hope and loneliness as serial mediators

Adverse childhood experiences, such as neglect and abuse in childhood, can significantly harm the mental and physical health of individuals and form the basis for the belief that the world is an unreliable, meaningless, and unjust place. This study investigates the mediating role of hope and loneliness in individuals who had experienced adverse childhood experiences in pursuing a meaningful life. The study cohort consisted of 419 adults who participated voluntarily. The Socio-demographic Information Form, Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale, Dispositional Hope Scale, Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Meaning in Life Scale were used for data collection. Adverse childhood experiences were negatively associated with hope ( r = −0.157, p < 0.001) and meaning in life (total effect B = –0.284, p < 0.001), while positively associated with loneliness ( r = 0.360, p < 0.001). Serial mediation analysis confirmed that hope and loneliness significantly mediated the relationship between childhood adversity and meaning in life. The findings revealed that hope and loneliness were serial mediators in the relationship between childhood traumas and individuals' perceived meaning in life. • Childhood traumas can suppress an individual's sense of hope and weaken their expectations for the future. • The feeling of loneliness is common in people who have been exposed to childhood trauma and this may hinder their efforts to find meaning in life • Although childhood traumas negatively affect the ability to view the future, developing a hopeful perspective can be a source of healing and motivation in life. • Hope and loneliness serially mediates the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and the meaning of life.