Randomized trial examines depressive symptoms in middle-aged mothers, suggesting diminished positive interactions play a crucial role.
Key Points
This study aims to explore how capitalization and relationship closeness mediate the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depressive symptoms.
Participants included 222 middle-aged mothers under chronic caregiving stress.
Data was collected over 30 months, focusing on ACEs, depressive symptoms, and interpersonal processes at three time points.
Analyses addressed both between-person variations and longitudinal trends over the study period.
Higher rates of ACEs were linked to lower capitalization and lower relationship closeness.
Increased relationship stress correlated with higher depressive symptoms, indicating a pathway from ACEs to depression through interpersonal factors.
Caregiving stress intensified the relationship between ACEs and relationship stress.