Journal Article

Females have more complex patterns of childhood adversity: implications for mental, social, and emotional outcomes in adulthood

Hansen, Maj, Haahr-Pedersen, Ida, Perera, Camila, Hyland, Philip, Vallières, Frédérique, Spitz, Pernille, Hansen, Pernille, Murphy, David, Cloitre, Marylène

2020

Overview

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been identified as an important public health problem with serious implications. Less well understood is how distinct configurations of childhood adversities carry differential risks for mental health, emotional, and social outcomes later in life. Objective: To determine if distinct profiles of childhood adversities exist for males and females and to examine if unique associations exist between the resultant latent profiles of childhood adversities and multiple indicators of mental health and social and emotional wellbeing in adulthood. Method: Participants (N = 1,839) were a nationally representative household sample of adults currently residing in the USA and the data were collected via online self-report questionnaires. Latent class analysis was used to identify the optimal number of classes to explain ACE co-occurrence among males and females, separately. ANOVAs, chi-square tests, and t-tests were used to compare male and female classes across multiple mental health, emotional, and social wellbeing variables in adulthood. Results: Females were significantly more likely than males to report a range of ACEs and mental health, social, and emotional difficulties in adulthood. Two- and four-class models were identified as the best fit for males and females, respectively, indicating more complexity and variation in ACE exposures among females. For males and female, ACEs were strongly associated with poorer mental health, emotional, and social outcomes in adulthood. Among females, growing up in a dysfunctional home environment was a significant risk factor for adverse social outcomes in adulthood. Conclusions: Males and females have distinct patterns of childhood adversities, with females experiencing more complex and varied patterns of childhood adversity. These patterns of ACEs were associated with numerous negative mental, emotional, and social outcomes among both sexes.

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis,Taylor & Francis Ltd,Taylor & Francis Group
• Subject: 21% of males and 39% of females in the US population have been exposed to multiple ACEs in their first 18 years of life. Females reported a more complex history of childhood adversities than males. Exposure to ACEs is strongly associated with poorer mental health, social, and emotional outcomes in adulthood. Exposure to particular ACEs such as growing up in a dysfunctional home was a significant risk factor for negative social outcomes among adult females / ACE / Adverse childhood experiences / Adversidad infantil / Análisis de clases latentes / Chi-square test / Childhood / childhood adversity / Childhood trauma / Clinical / Females / Latent class analysis / Males / Mental health / PTSD / Salud mental / TEPT / trauma infantil / 心理健康 / 潜在类别分析 / 童年期创伤 / 童年期逆境