The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Hope, and Well-Being Among Rural Latine Adolescents

Considerable research has demonstrated that minority at-risk youth in rural environments experience more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and are more likely to suffer from poor academic performance and severe mental health issues. Results of recent studies of resilience and social support as potential mitigators of ACEs suggest that hope could also mediate these adverse effects. Hope is a component of motivation critical to goal attainment and coping with loss. This study was conducted to examine the role of hope as a mediator of the relationship between ACEs and well-being among rural Latine adolescents. Using Washington State Department of Health Healthy Youth Survey data, a purposeful sample of rural Latine students in 10th and 12th grades was created to examine the extent to which hope mediated the relationship between ACEs and well-being and indicators of academic risk moderated the mediating relationship. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. Results indicated a significant effect of hope as a mediator when ACEs scores are low, and ACEs and academic risk had a stronger influence on well-being than the mediating effect of hope. Further research on hope and other factors that can mitigate the effect of ACEs on academic performance and well-being is encouraged. The findings of this study could have implications for positive social change by guiding programs to help poor, rural adolescents who experience ACEs develop and practice hope skills that connect to their future and a societal purpose outside their own communities