Classes of childhood adversities and their associations to the mental health of college undergraduates: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine

Bin Yu¹  Yinmei Yang²  Peigang Wang²  Mohammedhamid Osman Kelifa³ 

[1] Department of Surgery, Duke University, 27710, Durham, NC, USA;School of Health Sciences, Wuhan University, 115 Donghu Road, 430071, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China;School of Health Sciences, Wuhan University, 115 Donghu Road, 430071, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China;Orotta College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Asmara, Meakel, Eritrea;

关键词: Adverse childhood experiences;    Current stressful events;    Psychological distress;    Subjective well-being;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12199-021-00993-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundChildhood adversities pose deleterious consequences on health and well-being, but limited studies explore whether unique patterns of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact the mental health of emerging adults and the mediating role of current stressful events (CSEs). This study examined classes of ACEs and how they relate to CSEs, psychological distress, and subjective well-being among Eritrean College undergraduates.MethodsCross-sectional data on ACEs, CSEs, symptoms of psychological distress, and subjective well-being were collected from a national sample of college students (N = 507). We identified ACE patterns using latent class analysis and further examined whether CSEs mediated the effects of ACE classes on psychological distress and subjective well-being.Results86.4% of the sample experienced at least one ACE. Collective violence, domestic violence, and physical abuse were the most common ACEs. Three subgroups, low ACEs (66.3%), household violence (19.1%), and multiple ACEs (14.6%) were identified. We found that relative to low ACEs, household violence (β = 0.142, 95% CI 0.046, 0.248) and multiple ACEs (β = 0.501, 95% CI 0.357, 0.666) indirectly influenced psychological distress through CSEs, and CSEs mediated the relationships between household violence (β = −0.096, 95% CI −0.176, −0.033), multiple ACEs (β = −0.338, 95% CI −0.498, −0.210), and subjective well-being. However, there were nonsignificant relative direct effects of ACE patterns on both psychological distress and subjective well-being.ConclusionsExperiencing multiple ACEs and household violence in conjunction with CSEs significantly predict psychological distress and subjective well-being. Contextual interventions for the early identification of ACEs and the management of CSEs may play a crucial role in the prevention of mental health problems.

【 授权许可】

CC BY