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Table 1 Overview of the measures

From: Investigating emotion regulation and social information processing as mechanisms linking adverse childhood experiences with psychosocial functioning in young swiss adults: the FACE epidemiological accelerated cohort study

Childhood experiences (only at t1), main exposure variable

Adverse childhood experiences

- Child Maltreatment. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, 5 subscales (physical and emotional neglect and abuse, sexual abuse), 5 items each [49, 50]. To assess the timing and chronicity of ACE, all participants reaching the subscale threshold for slight to moderate maltreatment were additionally asked in which years of their life this subtype of maltreatment occurred.

- Witnessing violence to other family members (5 items); verbal and physical abuse by peers (6 items). Items were adapted from the German version of the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure’(MACE) scale [51, 52]. Additional item were added for the timing and chronicity per scale.

Family context and relationships

- Family Context before age 18, 3 items. Adapted from the C-SURF study [53].

- Satisfaction with family relationships before age 18: mother, father, and siblings. Adapted from the C-SURF study [53].

- Psychiatric problems of parents and siblings, Adapted from the C-SURF study [53].

Psychosocial functioning

Well-being

- Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale, 42 items, 7 for each dimension (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance) [54, 55], German translation adapted from Staudinger (1990) [56].

Life satisfaction

- Diener Satisfaction with life scale [57], 5 items. German version [58].

- Additional questions about satisfaction with different types of relationships: to friends, to romantic partner, to parents and to family/relatives.

Work and social adjustment

- Work and Social Adjustment Scale, 5 items [59].

Psychosocial and somatic problems and distress

- Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) assessing symptoms of somatisation, depression and anxiety [60].

- Externalising Problem Screener, 10 items [61].

- Psychosocial distress in 13 different areas of life, for example school/work, sleep, romantic relationship, physical health, financial situation, adapted from Brodbeck (2007) [62].

- Diagnosis of COVID and Long COVID, worsening of psychological distress due to COVID-19.

- RIWA Critical Life Events, 21 items, adapted from Brodbeck (2007) [62].

- Suicidal ideation and attempts, 2 items from the Suicidal Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised [63, 64]. On this page, a phone number and webpage in case of need for help is indicated.

Substance use

- Frequency of use for tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, party drugs, cocaine/heroin, other drugs, and pharmaceutical drugs for non-medical use.

- For substance used: age at first use and the 4-item Addiction Screener [65].

Secondary outcomes and potential mediators for the association between ACE and primary outcomes

Emotion regulation

 Emotional reactivity

- Emotion Reactivity Scale, 21 items [66].

 Perseverative thinking

- Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire, 15 items [67].

 Self-efficacy for managing emotions

- PROMIS Short Form v1.0—Self-Efficacy for Managing Emotions, 7 items [68].

Social information processing

 Rejection sensitivity

- Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, 9 scenarios with 2 questions each [69, 70].

 Interpretation bias

- WSAP-hostility scale for hostile interpretation bias, 16 items with 2 questions each [71].

- Interpretation bias index for PTSD, 13 items [72].

 Social understanding

- Tromsoe Social Intelligence Test: Social awareness & social information processing, 14 items [73].

Social and professional support

 Social support

- Social Support Questionnaire, short Version, (F-SozU K-14), 14 items [74] plus one item on informational support.

 Professional support and service use

- Use of child and youth counselling services, ambulant and residential psychological and psychiatric treatment as well as child protection services, 5 items (partially only at t1).