Journal Article

Associations between adverse childhood experiences and health outcomes in adults aged 18–59 years

Shen, Min, Jiang, Xueyan, Chang, Xuening, Mkandarwire, Tamara

2019

Overview

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with poor health status later in life. The objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between ACEs and health-related behaviors, chronic diseases, and mental health in adults. A cross-sectional study was performed with 1501 residents of Macheng, China. The ACE International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) was used to assess ACEs, including psychological, physical, and sexual forms of abuse, as well as household dysfunction. The main outcome variables were lifetime drinking status, lifetime smoking status, chronic diseases, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between overall ACE score and individual ACE component scores and risk behaviors/comorbidities in adulthood after controlling for potential confounders. A total of 66.2% of participants reported at least one ACE, and 5.93% reported four or more ACEs. Increased ACE scores were associated with increased risks of drinking (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.09, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.00-1.09), chronic disease (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.06-1.28), depression (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.27-1.48), and posttraumatic stress disorder (AOR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.23-1.42) in adulthood. After adjusting for confounding factors, the individual ACE components had different impacts on risk behavior and health, particularly on poor mental health outcomes in adulthood. ACEs during childhood were significantly associated with risk behaviors and poor health outcomes in adulthood, and different ACE components had different long-term effects on health outcomes in adulthood.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Abuse / Adolescent / Adult / Adults / Adverse childhood experiences / Age / Alcohol / Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology / Alcohol Drinking - psychology / Analysis / Behavior / Biology and Life Sciences / Bipolar disorder / Cancer / Cardiovascular disease / Child abuse & neglect / Child Abuse - psychology / Childhood / Childhood experiences / Childhood factors / Children / Childrens health / Chronic Disease / Chronic diseases / Chronic illnesses / Confidence intervals / Confounding factors / Criminal investigations / Cross-Sectional Studies / Depression (Mood disorder) / Depressive Disorder - epidemiology / Depressive Disorder - etiology / Depressive Disorder - psychology / Disease / Domestic violence / Elderly / Female / Health aspects / Health behavior / Health care / Health risk assessment / Health Risk Behaviors / Health risks / Health status / Households / Humans / Intelligence tests / Life course / Long term / Long-term effects / Male / Maternal & child health / Medicine and Health Sciences / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Mental health / Middle Aged / Outcome and process assessment (Medical care) / Post traumatic stress disorder / Posttraumatic stress disorder / Preventive medicine / Psychotropic drugs / Public health / Questionnaires / Regression analysis / Regression models / Risk / Risk behavior / Risk taking / Smoking / Smoking - epidemiology / Smoking - psychology / Social Sciences / Statistical analysis / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology / Studies / Surveys and Questionnaires / Systematic review / Womens health