Adverse childhood experiences and spiritual well-being: Serial mediation through meaning-based coping and substance misuse

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) can profoundly affect individuals' psychological functioning and internal meaning systems in later life. In this interaction, the individual's coping style and tendency toward harmful habits may play a decisive role. This study examined the association between adverse childhood experiences and spiritual well-being and tested the serial mediating roles of meaning-based coping and substance misuse in this association. The study sample consisted of a total of 501 volunteer participants, including 247 women (49.3%) and 254 men (50.7%). Participants' ages ranged from 18 to 47 years (<i>M</i> = 22.46 years, SD = 4.51). The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive design based on structural equation modeling. In addition to structural equation modeling, bootstrapping analysis was also performed. The results of the study indicate that the relationship between ACEs and spiritual well-being is serially mediated by meaning-based coping and substance misuse (β = -0.076, 95% CI = -0.125, -0.033; <i>p</i> < .05). The findings provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between ACEs and spiritual well-being and are discussed in light of possible explanations and limitations.