Caroline Cohrdes1, Elvira Mauz2. 1. Mental Health Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: CohrdesC@rki.de. 2. Mental Health Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on various health outcomes is a major public health concern. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of direct and indirect effects of ACEs on young adult mental and physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to identify protective factors that could be addressed by public health interventions. METHODS: We used structural equation modeling to investigate associations between ACE exposure and mental and physical HRQoL in 3,704 young adults (44.5% male) who participated at baseline (2003-2006; mean age = 12.2 years, 95% confidence interval = 12.1-12.3) and at the second follow-up (2014-2017; mean age = 25.0 years, 95% confidence interval = 24.9-25.1) of the KiGGS cohort study, a population-based study of children and adolescents in Germany. We investigated the mediating role of protective factors in associations between ACEs and adult HRQoL while controlling for child/adolescent HRQoL. RESULTS: A substantial proportion of young adults (65.6%) reported an ACE. Emotional abuse, neglect, depression/suicide of a household member, and ACE co-occurrence affected HRQoL negatively. Some of the negative effects of ACEs on HRQoL were attenuated, and cumulative effects from ACE co-occurrence were buffered by protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: Self-efficacy and emotional stability seem to play a key role in buffering the effects of ACEs on mental and physical HRQoL. To reduce the negative impact of ACEs, public health measures should pay additional attention to emotional abuse and promote coping and adaption competencies in children and adolescents with ACE and in general.
PURPOSE: The impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on various health outcomes is a major public health concern. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of direct and indirect effects of ACEs on young adult mental and physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to identify protective factors that could be addressed by public health interventions. METHODS: We used structural equation modeling to investigate associations between ACE exposure and mental and physical HRQoL in 3,704 young adults (44.5% male) who participated at baseline (2003-2006; mean age = 12.2 years, 95% confidence interval = 12.1-12.3) and at the second follow-up (2014-2017; mean age = 25.0 years, 95% confidence interval = 24.9-25.1) of the KiGGS cohort study, a population-based study of children and adolescents in Germany. We investigated the mediating role of protective factors in associations between ACEs and adult HRQoL while controlling for child/adolescent HRQoL. RESULTS: A substantial proportion of young adults (65.6%) reported an ACE. Emotional abuse, neglect, depression/suicide of a household member, and ACE co-occurrence affected HRQoL negatively. Some of the negative effects of ACEs on HRQoL were attenuated, and cumulative effects from ACE co-occurrence were buffered by protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: Self-efficacy and emotional stability seem to play a key role in buffering the effects of ACEs on mental and physical HRQoL. To reduce the negative impact of ACEs, public health measures should pay additional attention to emotional abuse and promote coping and adaption competencies in children and adolescents with ACE and in general.
Authors: Andrew Wooyoung Kim; Bernard Kakuhikire; Charles Baguma; Crystal M North; Emily N Satinsky; Jessica M Perkins; Patience Ayebare; Allen Kiconco; Elizabeth B Namara; David R Bangsberg; Mark J Siedner; Alexander C Tsai Journal: J Glob Health Date: 2021-07-24 Impact factor: 7.664