Adverse childhood experiences and their relationship to gender and depression among young adults in Iraq: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are considered as universal public health problem that associate with mental disorders and risky behaviors during adulthood. The aims of the paper are to estimate the prevalence of Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among young adults in Iraq as well as to estimate the association between ACEs and depression.MethodsA convenience sample of young adults of 18–20 years was chosen from centre and west of Iraq, mainly from universities. The adverse childhood experiences were measured by Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire. A depression scale was derived from the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS). Statistical tests: chi square was used to measure the association between adverse childhood experiences and other variables like gender and depression. Odds ratios were computed to estimate the risk for depression. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe total number of participants was 401, 38.9% of the subjects were men, while 61.1% were women. The mean age of the participants was 18.88 ± 0.745. The results revealed that the most common forms of ACEs among the subjects were physical neglect (19.8%) and emotional neglect (19.2%) followed by physical abuse (17.21%) while sexual abuse was 7.52%.There was statistically significant association between most forms of adverse childhood experiences especially emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical abuse and physical neglect with depression.ConclusionACEs are not uncommon among young adults in Iraq and are associated with depression in adulthood. National programmes to support mental health rehabilitation might be necessary to reduce the effect of ACEs among Iraqi people, especially for adolescents and young adults.

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

“…In a similar study, conducted among 401 Iraq young adults aged from 18 to 20 years, Shawi et al found a link between depression and most types of ACEs. Depression was statistically significantly correlated with emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical abuse, and physical neglect [28]. Lemon et al in a study concerning factors linked to depressive symptoms among 666 racial and ethnic minority students of 7 diverse universities in the state of Georgia showed that Adverse Childhood Experiences were connected to more severe depressive symptoms.…”

Prevention of Mental Illnesses Caused by Adverse Childhood Experience

“…Four or more ACEs raised the probability of depression (4.5 times) according to a survey conducted by a big US HMO [8]. Physical and emotional neglect were reported to be the most common forms of ACEs among Iraqi young adults, both of which are linked to depression in adulthood [16]. Physical and emotional maltreatment were revealed to be the most common forms of ACEs among young adults in Iraq [16], both of which are linked to depression in adulthood.…”

Roles of participation in social activities in the association between adverse childhood experiences and health among older Japanese adults

“…In life course epidemiology, early life experiences are understood to be important determinants of later-life health ( Cheong et al, 2017 ; Cristóbal-Narváez et al, 2016 ; Hughes et al, 2016 , 2017 ; Nurius et al, 2012 ; Shawi et al, 2019 ; Westreich & Greenland, 2013 ), and there is a growing recognition of the influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs are ‘potentially traumatic events or chronic stressors that occur before the age of 18 and are uncontrollable to the child’( Felitti et al, 1998 ).…”