Abstract

Growing evidence suggest that adversity early in life not only have far-reaching effects on emotion regulation but also continues to undermine adolescent mental wellbeing. The present study aims to examine the influence of adverse childhood experiences on emotion regulation and mental well-being. A descriptive survey design was adopted with data drawn from 300 respondents randomly selected from four secondary schools in the Ibadan metropolis. Three selfreport measures were employed to elicit information from the respondents. Three research questions were raised and answered. Data were analyzed using multiple regression and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The findings showed that adverse childhood experiences had a negative relationship with emotional regulation (r = -.173) and mental well-being (-.121). It further revealed that 56.4% (Adjusted R) of the total variance observed in mental well-being can be accounted for by all the ACE variables. Recommendations were made based on these findings.