Adverse childhood experiences and psychological distress among higher education students in Southeast Nigeria: an institutional-based cross-sectional study

Agbaje, Olaoluwa Samson; Nnaji, Chinwe Patience; Nwagu, Evelyn Nwanebe; Iweama, Cylia Nkechi; Umoke, Prince Christian Ifeanachor; Ozoemena, Lawretta Eyuche; Abba, Charles Chike

doi:10.1186/s13690-021-00587-3

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…The Lasting Effects of Early Adversity and Updating Ability on the Tendency to Develop PTSD Symptoms Following Exposure to Trauma in Adulthood Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) refer to a wide range of circumstances or events that pose a serious threat to a child's physical or psychological well-being and are one of the most consistent risk factors associated with adult mental disorders (Agbaje et al, 2021;Bellis et al, 2015;Bryant et al, 2020;Cleare et al, 2018;McLaughlin et al, 2013;Nelson et al, 2020;Sareen et al, 2013;Trotta et al, 2015). The current study aims to test the moderating role of cognitive flexibility on the tendency of individuals with different levels of exposure to ACEs to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following exposure to additional trauma in adulthood.…”

Section: Adversity Updating and Ptsdmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Lasting Effects of Early Adversity and Updating Ability on the Tendency to Develop PTSD Symptoms Following Exposure to Trauma in Adulthood

et al. 2022

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Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) serve as a risk factor for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for those who experience additional adult trauma. However, while some individuals with ACEs develop severe PTSD symptoms following exposure to additional adult trauma, others do not. We propose that updating prior knowledge in the face of new inconsistent information may account for these individual differences. This notion is based on prior work showing that for individuals with a reduced ability to update negative-topositive outcome associations, greater trauma is correlated with elevated PTSD symptoms.On the other hand, individuals with flexible updating do not develop such symptoms. Here, we tested whether these updating difficulties moderate the relationship between ACEs and PTSD symptoms following additional adult trauma. Firefighters (N=123, Mage=28.02, SDage=4.69) were assessed for childhood adversity and PTSD symptoms and completed a performance-based learning paradigm to evaluate updating difficulties. We predicted and found strong associations between ACEs and PTSD symptoms for individuals with reduced updating of negative-but not positive-outcomes. The results may serve as a first step toward improving mental health outcomes in individuals with ACEs and protecting them from the aversive effect of exposure to additional adult trauma.

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Section: Adversity Updating and Ptsdmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Lasting Effects of Early Adversity and Updating Ability on the Tendency to Develop PTSD Symptoms Following Exposure to Trauma in Adulthood

et al. 2022

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“…ACE exposure is significantly associated with psychological distress [18]. It is not surprising that the authors' study showed a significant relationship between ACEs and drinking alcohol in order to de-stress or discharge negative emotions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Adverse Childhood Experiences as a significant predictor of worsened well-being among Polish medical and dental students

Drożak

Augustowska

Bryliński

et al. 2021

J Educ Health Sport

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Introduction and purpose. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are a major public health problem. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences among medical and dental students in Poland and to examine a relationship between ACEs and chosen factors associated with well-being of the students.Material and method. The research tool consisted of the Adverse Childhood Experiences standardized questionnaire and authors’ questions. 934 medical students and 228 dental students took part in the study (a total of 1162 participants). The respondents came from 18 Polish universities.Results. 57.40% of the students experienced at least 1 childhood adversity, 8.43% of them were affected by 4 or more ACEs. The most common adverse childhood experiences were: emotional neglect (23.06%), emotional abuse (22.98%) and mental illness or a suicide attempt in a household member (21.86%). On average, women experienced more childhood adversities than men. An overall graded relationship was found between ACEs and: frequent feelings of loneliness, low self-assessment of academic performance, problems with maintaining stable body weight, reaching for alcohol in order to de-stress and being non-religious.Conclusions. Adverse Childhood Experiences are common among Polish medical and dental students and are linked with multiple aspects of worsened well-being of the students. The study emphasizes a need to create strategies that aim to educate on Adverse Childhood Experiences in order to prevent them and help those who are affected by them.

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“…In that study, parental education at a level lower than a Bachelor degree was associated with higher ACEs scores among children [14]. Similarly, in According to the authors, parental education may play a role of a protective factor against Adverse Childhood Experiences and provides a buffer from poor health outcomes among children and adolescents [17]. Conversely, Karatekin et al found no statistically significant links between parental education and ACEs among 321 American young adults [18].…”

Section: Factors Associated With Adverse Childhood Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 92%

Adverse Childhood Experiences and worsened social relationships in adult life among Polish medical and dental students

Drożak

Duda

Augustowska

et al. 2021

J Educ Health Sport

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Introduction and purpose. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events experienced before the age of 18 that have lasting negative effects on physical and mental health. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences increases the probability of chronic health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, asthma, depression or PTSD. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences among medical and dental students of Polish Medical Universities and to examine an association between ACEs and chosen factors associated with social relationships of the students.Material and method. A total of 1162 medical and dental students from each year of education and 18 different Polish universities took part in the study. The research tool contained the Adverse Childhood Experiences standardized questionnaire and authors’ questions.Results. More than a half of the students (57.4%) had at least 1 exposure to ACEs. 8.43% of them experienced 4 or more childhood adversities. The most commonly reported ACEs were: emotional neglect (23.06%), emotional abuse (22.98%) and mental illness or a suicide attempt in a household member (21.86%). An overall graded relationship was found between ACE score and: parents’ lower level of education, negative relationship with parents, siblings and friends and having a diagnosis of depression.Conclusions. Adverse Childhood Experiences are common among Polish medical and dental students and are associated with worsened social relationships and depression in adult life of the students. It is important to implement strategies that aim to prevent ACEs and help to build social support networks for those that are affected by them.

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Adverse childhood experiences and psychological distress among higher education students in Southeast Nigeria: an institutional-based cross-sectional study

Cited by 15 publications

References 65 publications

The Lasting Effects of Early Adversity and Updating Ability on the Tendency to Develop PTSD Symptoms Following Exposure to Trauma in Adulthood

The Lasting Effects of Early Adversity and Updating Ability on the Tendency to Develop PTSD Symptoms Following Exposure to Trauma in Adulthood

Adverse Childhood Experiences as a significant predictor of worsened well-being among Polish medical and dental students

Adverse Childhood Experiences and worsened social relationships in adult life among Polish medical and dental students

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