Citation

Ho GWK, Bressington D, Karatzias T, Chien WT, Inoue S, Yang PJ, Chan ACY, Hyland P. Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00127-019-01768-w

PMID

31501908

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) constitute a significant global mental health burden. Prior studies typically investigated the impact of ACEs on mental health using a cumulative risk approach; most ACEs studies were also conducted in Western settings.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine ACEs using a pattern-based approach and assess their associations with mental health outcomes by early adulthood in East Asia.

METHODS: The present study included measures of exposure to 13 categories of ACEs, depression, anxiety, maladjustment, and posttraumatic stress in a sample of 1346 university students from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and Japan.

RESULTS: Latent class analysis indicated three distinct patterns of ACE exposure: Class 1: Low ACEs (76.0%); Class 2: Household Violence (20.6%); and Class 3: Household Dysfunction (3.4%). Those representing Class 3 had significantly more ACEs compared with those in Classes 1 or 2. Controlling for age and sex, those in Class 2 reported significantly higher depression and maladjustment symptoms compared with those in Class 1; both Classes 2 and 3 had significantly higher anxiety symptoms and odds for meeting diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorders compared with those in Class 1.

CONCLUSIONS: Study findings suggest that young adults' mental health, at least under certain contexts, is more closely linked with the nature and pattern of ACE co-occurrence, rather than the number of ACEs.

Language: en

Keywords

Adverse childhood experiences; East Asia; Latent class analysis; Mental health; Young adults