Patterns of adversity childhood experiences from family, peers, and teachers in Chinese adolescents and emerging adults

Family, peers, and teachers are significant influences in the lives of most individuals. This study examines the differential associations of adversity childhood experiences from family, peers, and teachers with complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) symptoms and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in Chinese adolescents and emerging adults. This study involved a total of 5,477 adolescents and 3,995 emerging adults in China, surveyed on two occasions. Participants completed questionnaires assessing family adversity, peer victimization, and teacher maltreatment at T1, as well as CPTSD symptoms and PTG at T2. Four distinct profiles were identified among adolescents: “low risk,” “family adversity,” “peer adversity,” and “multiple adversities,” while four profiles emerged among emerging adults: “low risk,” “family adversity,” “teacher-peer adversity,” and “multiple adversities.” Both adolescents and emerging adults in the “low risk” group reported the lowest levels of CPTSD symptoms and the highest levels of PTG. Conversely, among adolescents, the “multiple adversities” and “peer adversity” groups showed the highest CPTSD symptoms, while the “family adversity” group reported the lowest PTG. Among emerging adults, the “multiple adversities” had the highest CPTSD symptoms, and both “multiple adversities” and “family adversity” groups showed the lowest PTG. The study highlights the differential impact of distinct adversity childhood experience sources on CPTSD symptoms and PTG in Chinese adolescents and emerging adults.