Adverse Childhood Experiences and Career Future Perceptions: A Social Cognitive Perspective

ABSTRACT Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with a range of developmental outcomes; however, less is known about how early adversity relates to career‐related future perceptions. Drawing on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the present study examined whether hope and resilience are associated with career future perceptions through career decision‐making self‐efficacy (CDMSE) and vocational outcome expectations (VOE), and whether these pathways vary across levels of ACE exposure. Data from 508 undergraduate students in Türkiye were analyzed. Results indicated that hope was positively associated with career future perceptions through CDMSE and VOE, whereas resilience was not directly related to self‐efficacy. Multigroup analyses showed that the overall structural relations were largely invariant across ACE groups, with limited evidence of path‐specific variation. Implications are discussed with an emphasis on assessment and future research directions.