Family functioning in the context of current and historical stressors: Exploring the buffering role of social support

Background Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can be passed onto future generations through complex biopsychosocial mechanisms. However, social support in caregivers who have experienced adversity may lead to adaptation. Most research on the intergenerational consequences of ACEs has focused on mental health in subsequent generations, while overlooking family functioning as an outcome. Objective This pre-registered study addresses this gap by examining a hypothesized association between caregiver ACEs and caregiver-perceived family functioning, and the moderating role of social support. It was expected that high levels of social support would attenuate the association between caregiver ACEs and family functioning, controlling for contemporaneous stressors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants and setting Data come from a multinational non-clinical sample (n = 310). Methods Caregivers completed self-report measures to assess caregiver ACEs, social support, COVID stressors, and family dysfunction. Results Multiple regression analyses revealed that the ACEs-by-social support interaction was not significant. Exploratory analyses revealed a significant three-way interaction between COVID stressors, ACEs, and social support (b = 0.001, SE < 0.001, p = .008). For lower adversity, social support protected against the association between COVID stressors and family dysfunction; however, for higher adversity, social support was only protective when COVID stressors were low. Conclusions Social support is protective against concurrent stressors during the pandemic in relation to family functioning, though this buffering depends on historical levels of adversity. Findings are interpreted through a trauma-informed lens and provide support for family-focused interventions and policies to mitigate the impact of stress on caregivers with high ACEs.