Racial and ethnic disparities in young adult mental health: Exploring the individual and conjoint effects of ACEs and campus climate.

Objectives: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), but the role of contextual factors remains underexplored. Therefore, this study examined the moderating effect of campus climate on associations between ACEs and PTSS and whether effects differ based on racial/ethnic identity.

Participants: University students taking Psychology courses at a large public university in the Northeastern United States ( = 419).

Methods: Participants completed a set of questionnaires assessing socio-demographics, ACEs, campus climate, and PTSS. Moderation analyses were conducted to test hypotheses.

Results: Significant 3-way interaction effects (e.g., ACEs x Campus Climate Subscales x Racial/ethnic Identity) were found for PTSS. Among White students, positive perceptions of campus climates buffered the effects of ACEs on PTSS severity. However, this protective effect was not observed among racial/ethnic minority students.

Conclusions: The findings highlight campus climate as a contextual condition relevant to understanding mental health disparities among college students.