The Moderating Influence of Community Social Support on the Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Persistent Feelings of Sadness Among Adolescents in Texas.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have long-lasting effects on adolescents' mental health, impacting their ability to form healthy relationships and lifestyles later in life. Social support may act as a resource that helps adolescents cope with stress and provides a sense of community, support, and hope. However, few studies have explored the moderating role of perceived community social support on the impact that ACEs have on poor mental health among adolescents in Texas. Methods: The 2021 Texas Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS) survey data were used to address this gap. Unadjusted and adjusted bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association between self-reported ACEs and feelings of sadness, adjusting for sociodemographic variables, and assessing community social support as a potential moderator. Results: The sample included 1,259 students (49.8% female). Overall, 87.4% of Texas adolescents experienced one or more ACEs, 50.1% of students reported past-year persistent feelings of sadness, and 42.1% of Texas adolescents reported perceived community social support. The top three most reported ACEs were verbal abuse (65.3%), followed by physical abuse (37.6%) and household mental illness (33.0%). Total ACE score was found to be associated with feelings of sadness in both crude (odds ratio [OR] = 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.49-1.78) and adjusted (aOR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.47- 1.74) models. While the magnitude of the odds of persistent feelings of sadness was higher among those who reported no community social support (aOR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.51-1.87) compared to those who received community social support (aOR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.30-1.67), there was no significant difference between the groups. Conclusions: The results suggest that community social support may impact the relationship between ACEs and adolescent's emotional well-being; however, more research is needed to determine this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]