From ACEs to Depression: Cognitive-Emotional Mechanisms and the Role of Connectedness

The study examines pathways linking ACEs to depression, with uncertainty intolerance (UI)–negative urgency (NU), and cynical distrust (CD) as mediators. ACEs predicted UI, which in turn predicted NU, leading to depression, while CD mediated the ACES–depression link. Family and community connectedness–buffered these pathways, mitigating the ACE-related cognitive-emotional vulnerabilities in adolescents.