Childhood adversity, low positive affect and psychopathology: a meta-analytic structural equation modeling study

Abstract Adverse childhood events (ACEs) are major risk factors for psychopathology, yet the psychological mechanisms remain unclear. One proposed mechanism is blunted positive affect (PA), although evidence is heterogeneous, drawn from studies that often treated PA as a secondary outcome and examined only univariate relationships between ACEs, PA, and psychopathology. In this meta-analytic structural equation modeling study, we pooled data from 115 studies (N = 305,848) to examine the direct and indirect pathways linking ACEs, PA, and psychopathology. Findings indicate that ACEs are significantly associated with reduced PA, which in turn relates to increased psychopathology symptoms. Moderator analyses reveal that these effects vary by ACE type, PA measurement method, and sample characteristics, underscoring the complexity of these associations. These results suggest that interventions enhancing PA may mitigate psychopathology risk among ACE-exposed individuals, offering promising new avenues for prevention and clinical practice in mental health.