The associations among Mindfulness, Psychological Flexibility, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Psychological Symptoms in young adulthood

Objectives Adverse Childhood experiences (ACE) history is a well-established risk factor for the development of psychopathology in adulthood. Although mindfulness and psychological flexibility have been proposed as protective factors, their distinct dimensions through which they buffer the impact of early trauma remain unclear. The present study aimed to examine the associations among early trauma, mindfulness facets, psychological flexibility dimensions and psychological symptoms by using network analysis, and to examine whether specific mindfulness and psychological flexibility dimensions moderate the impact of ACE on psychological symptoms. Methods A sample of 516 young adults aged 18–35 years old (M = 26.96, SD = 4.67) mostly women (73.8%) completed an online survey including measures of early trauma (ETI-SR-SF), mindfulness facets (KIMS), psychological flexibility dimensions (MPFI) and psychological symptoms (DASS). Results Network analysis identified Acceptance without Judgement. Awareness, Describing (mindfulness facets), and Committed Action (psychological flexibility dimension) as central processes associated with psychological symptom intensity. Early trauma was associated only with psychological symptoms, whereas Acceptance without Judgement and Committed Action were the only significant moderators of the relationship between early trauma and psychological symptoms. Conclusions Findings underscore the protective role of Acceptance without Judgement and Committed Action, in mitigating the long-term psychological consequences of early trauma. These processes may be important targets for early intervention and prevention programs.