Patterns of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mental Health: Evidence From College Students in Korea

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are concerning exposures that may have detrimental effects on mental health. Much of the prior evidence on ACEs comes from the U.S and western developed countries. In light of the limited knowledge of ACEs in other social contexts and the interconnection among adversities, this study aims to identify distinct patterns of co-occurring ACEs and examines the associations between those adversities and mental health in South Korea. We used data from a national sample of Korean college students recruited via non-probability quota sampling in 2019 ( N = 1037). The dependent variables included three measures of mental health assessed by the Brief Symptom Inventory depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and somatization symptoms. The independent variable was the patterns of ACEs identified using 14 indicators of childhood adversity. We conducted a Latent Class Analysis with a distal outcome, using the Bolck, Croons, and Hagenaars method. The analysis found four patterns of ACEs: extreme adversity (8%) , family violence (20.3%) , economic adversity (10.4%), and low adversity (61.3%). The extreme adversity group exhibited multiple exposures, including interpersonal violence in home environments, economic hardship, and bullying victimization by peers. The results suggest that the extreme adversity and family violence groups showed significantly worse mental health symptoms than the economic adversity and low adversity groups. Also, the extreme adversity group reported significantly higher levels of depression symptoms and somatization symptoms than the family violence group. This study expands the current understanding of ACEs and their harmful effects on mental health in young adulthood specific to Korea while comparing them with other social contexts. Researchers and practitioners should recognize the co-occurrence of child adversities, rather than overestimating sole adversity, to develop effective strategies for promoting mental health.

A Scoping Review on Adverse Childhood Experiences Studies Using Latent Class Analysis: Strengths and Challenges

“…Wang, Yu, et al, 2022; G. F. Wang, Yuan, et al, 2022; Xiao et al, 2023; Yuan et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2020), Cambodia (Miedema et al, 2023), Germany (Turner et al, 2021; Witt et al, 2019), Korea (Kim, Park, et al, 2022), Singapore (Liu et al, 2022), Spain (Aizpurua et al, 2023), Switzerland (Barra et al, 2018), Tanzania (Zietz et al, 2020), and the United Kingdom (Iob et al, 2021; Lacey, Bartley, et al, 2020; Lacey, Pinto Pereira, et al 2020; Lacey et al, 2022; MacLochlainn et al, 2022; Ross et al, 2022). Interestingly, one study sampled eight country sites across the Latin-American and Caribbean region, Europe, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Asia (Hemady et al, 2022).…”

“…Other non-maltreatment family adversities were expanded such as (a) parental/guardian death (studies based on NSCH; studies using ACE-IQ; Aizpurua et al, 2023; Hemady et al, 2022; Kim, Park, et al, 2022; Lacey, Pinto Pereira, et al, 2020; Lacey et al, 2022; MacLochlainn et al, 2022; Miedema et al, 2023; Smith et al 2023; G. F. Wang, Yuan, et al, 2022; Xiao et al, 2023; Yu et al, 2022; Yuan et al, 2022 also added sibling death; Zhang et al, 2020; Zietz et al, 2020); (b) disadvantaged household socioeconomic status such as poverty/material hardship/financial struggles (studies based on FFCWS, NSCH; S.…”

“…F. Wang, Yuan, et al, 2022; Xiao et al, 2023; Yu et al, 2022; Yuan et al, 2022 also added sibling death; Zhang et al, 2020; Zietz et al, 2020); (b) disadvantaged household socioeconomic status such as poverty/material hardship/financial struggles (studies based on FFCWS, NSCH; S. S. Chen, He, et al, 2022; Heidinger & Willson, 2022; Kim, Lee, et al, 2020; Kim, Park, et al, 2022; Yu et al, 2022), parents’ unemployment (Heidinger & Willson, 2022; Zhang et al, 2020), and low maternal education (Zhang & Monnat, 2022); (c) illness/disability/accident experienced by a family member (S. S. Chen, He, et al, 2022; MacLochlainn et al, 2022; G.…”

Adverse Childhood Experience, Parental Bonding, and Fatherhood as Parenting Vulnerabilities to Social Anxiety Severity in Iranian Context

“…Considering that nancial struggles may contribute to mental health issues like social anxiety in adulthood. Also, Korean culture has considered traumas to be shameful experiences that individuals must suffer and endure in solitude leading to social anxiety (Kim et al, 2023). Overall, childhood trauma as a strong predictor of SAD should not be overlooked; however, positive childhood experiences, such as strong parental bonding, have been identi ed as a protector against vulnerabilities to SAD (Spence & Rapee, 2016).…”

Impact of adverse childhood experience on physical and mental health: A life‐course epidemiology perspective

“…The original ACE study has been cited more than 16 000 times as of May 2022, because more ACEs studies have since been conducted not only in the US but also in Europe, 3,4 Asia (e.g. Japan, 5 Korea, 6 China, 7 Thailand, 8 ), and sub‐Saharan Africa 9 . However, most of these studies replicated the findings of the original study even after using better measurement methods and research designs.…”