Adverse Childhood Experiences and Post-Traumatic Growth among Young Adults– Role of family structure

Abstract

This study aims to compare Adverse Childhood Effects and Post Traumatic Growth among young adults raised in joint and nuclear families Using a sample of 300 participants aged 18–30, the research compared Adverse Childhood Effect exposure and Post Traumatic Growth levels among individuals raised in nuclear versus joint families. An independent samples t-test revealed significantly higher Post Traumatic Growth scores among individuals raised in joint family systems (t(198) = .035 p < .05). Although the overall prevalence of Adverse Childhood Effect did not differ significantly between groups, variations were found in specific types of abuse. Emotional abuse and community violence were more prevalent in joint families, while physical abuse was more common in nuclear families. These findings highlight the buffering role of joint families in fostering resilience and psychological growth and suggest the need for family-informed trauma interventions.