Record of the past or reflection of the present? Fluctuations in recollections of childhood adversity and fluctuations in adult relationship circumstances

Abstract

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are studied as predictors of lifespan outcomes, yet their reporting is assumed to be stable across time. However, reporting on past experiences is a reconstructive process shaped by social and emotional contexts. Objective: This study examined ACEs fluctuations and whether fluctuations are associated with contemporaneous relationship quality and academic stress in emerging adulthood. Participants and setting: Participants were 938 emerging adults (Mage = 19.6, SD = 2.1; 81% women) who completed three surveys across two months assessing ACEs, support and strain in relationships with parents, friends, and romantic partners, and academic stress. Methods: Childhood adversity was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form. Multilevel models decomposed predictors into between- and within-person variance to predict ACEs across waves. Analyses tested whether both average levels—and deviations from these averages—in support, strain, and stress corresponded with deviations in ACE recollections. Results: ACE reports showed high stability over the two-month period (ICCs = 0.73–0.85), but also meaningful within-person variability. Greater-than-usual parental support and lower strain predicted fewer reported ACEs, particularly for emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Support from friends and romantic partners was more modestly associated with ACE recall, while academic stress predicted slight increases in reports of emotional abuse and neglect. Conclusions: Findings suggest that retrospective ACE reports reflect not only early adversity but also present relational and emotional states. Interpreting ACE measures as dynamic and context-sensitive may improve their use in both research and practice.