Investigating the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Adult Friendship Making

Humans are a highly social species and often spend much of their time and energy trying to make friends. But, each individual enters into this endeavor with different strengths and challenges. Here, we focus on understanding one specific source of challenges when making friends: adverse childhood experiences. Past research has indicated a number of benefits and costs inherent in making friends, including its impacts on mental and physical health, academic performance, and behavior. We expect the results of this study will further elucidate the social impact of adverse childhood experiences. Specifically, we expect people who have higher scores on the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACES) will also score higher on avoidance measures and be less inclined to pursue new friendships. This study uses a questionnaire method presented to university students, where we asked questions regarding their childhood experiences, perceptions of friendships, and their willingness to make new friendships. The impact of these potential results will facilitate a deeper understanding of how early life experiences impact one’s desire to engage in friendships.