Adverse childhood experiences and mental health in young adults: a longitudinal survey

Abstract

BackgroundAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been consistently linked to psychiatric difficulties in children and adults. However, the long-term effects of ACEs on mental health during the early adult years have been understudied. In addition, many studies are methodologically limited by use of non-representative samples, and few studies have investigated gender and racial differences. The current study relates self-reported lifetime exposure to a range of ACEs in a community sample of high school seniors to three mental health outcomes–depressive symptoms, drug abuse, and antisocial behavior–two years later during the transition to adulthood.MethodsThe study has a two-wave, prospective design. A systematic probability sample of high school seniors (N = 1093) was taken from communities of diverse socioeconomic status. They were interviewed in person in 1998 and over the telephone two years later. Gender and racial differences in ACE prevalence were tested with chi-square tests. Each mental health outcome was regressed on one ACE, controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, and SES to obtain partially standardized regression coefficients.ResultsMost ACEs were strongly associated with all three outcomes. The cumulative effect of ACEs was significant and of similar magnitude for all three outcomes. Except for sex abuse/assault, significant gender differences in the effects of single ACEs on depression and drug use were not observed. However, boys who experienced ACEs were more likely to engage in antisocial behavior early in young adulthood than girls who experienced similar ACEs. Where racial/ethnic differences existed, the adverse mental health impact of ACEs on Whites was consistently greater than on Blacks and Hispanics.ConclusionOur sample of young adults from urban, socio-economically disadvantaged communities reported high rates of adverse childhood experiences. The public health impact of childhood adversity is evident in the very strong association between childhood adversity and depressive symptoms, antisocial behavior, and drug use during the early transition to adulthood. These findings, coupled with evidence that the impact of major childhood adversities persists well into adulthood, indicate the critical need for prevention and intervention strategies targeting early adverse experiences and their mental health consequences.

Childhood maltreatment in subjects with male-to-female gender identity disorder

“…These data are in agreement with several investigators reporting higher rates of anxiety disorders, depression, suicide ideation and attempts and self-harm behaviors among young adults and adults with childhood history of maltreatments. 57,64,65 Considering social functioning, subjects with CM reported a worse relationship with male peers during childhood and adolescence. These results seem to confirm previous studies, reporting an association between CM and a poor social functioning in early and middle childhood.…”

Impact of life events on child mental health before school entry at age six

“…A recent longitudinal study has shown a very strong association between stressful life events in childhood and depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior in young adults [34]. In children, a significantly increased number of life events was reported prior to the onset of such mental health problems as mood disorders and depression [15,21,23,38], as well as enuresis, externalizing behavior, suicidal tendencies, and anorexia nervosa [22].…”

Isolation rearing impairs wound healing and is associated with increased locomotion and decreased immediate early gene expression in the medial prefrontal cortex of juvenile rats

“…In addition to its detrimental impact on mental health (Kaufman, Plotsky et al 2000;Heim and Nemeroff 2001;Rutter 2002;Schilling, Aseltine et al 2007), psychosocial adversity also detrimentally impacts physical health (Flaherty, Thompson et al 2006;Heim, Wagner et al 2006;Sareen, Jacobi et al 2006). In addition, we and others have shown that patients with psychiatric difficulties have worse medical outcomes (Levine, Covino et al 1996;Katon 2003;Tarrier, Gregg et al 2005) and are at heightened risk for sustaining subsequent physical injuries (Rockwell, Dimsdale et al 1988;Swenson, Dimsdale et al 1991).…”