Early-life adversities are associated with anxiety and somatic symptoms among university students: moderation by family support

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and somatic symptoms are prevalent health issues among Chinese university students. This study aims to investigate the shared risk and buffering factors for these conditions in Chinese university students to inform targeted interventions. METHODS: A convenience sampling method was used to survey 485 undergraduate students from a university in Western China. Data were collected using the Early-Life Adversity Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale, the Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (SSS-8), and the family support subscale of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the main effects of early-life adversity on anxiety and somatic symptoms, as well as the moderating effect of family support. RESULTS: Early-life adversity significantly and positively predicted anxiety (β = 0.42, p < 0.01) and somatic symptoms (β = 0.64, p < 0.01), with effect being significantly stronger on somatic symptoms than on anxiety. Family support significantly negatively moderated the relationship between early-life adversity and anxiety/somatic symptoms (interaction term β = -0.27 / -0.27, p < 0.01). Family support buffered the effect of early-life adversity on anxiety exclusively through its moderating role, whereas it mitigated the impact of early-life adversity on somatic symptoms through both direct and moderating effects. CONCLUSION: Early-life adversity is a significant risk factor for anxiety and somatic symptoms among Chinese university students. Family support can buffer the long-term effects of early-life adversity on both anxiety and somatic symptoms. Integrating family support into university health intervention systems may help alleviate anxiety and somatic symptoms among students.