The prevalence and profiles of adverse childhood experiences and their associations with adult mental health outcomes in China: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are common and associated with mental disorders. However, the prevalence and co-occurrence of ACEs and their association with mental health outcomes among Chinese adults have not been well demonstrated.

Methods: China Mental Health Survey, a cross-sectional nationally representative survey consisting of 28,140 adults, was conducted from July 2013 to March 2015. Twelve ACEs and mental health outcomes, including mood disorder, anxiety disorder, substance-use disorder, and suicide were measured using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) 3.0 in a weighted representative subsample of 9378 respondents. Latent class analysis was used to identify the co-occurrence profiles of ACEs, and logistic regression was applied to examine the association between ACEs and mental health outcomes. Population-attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated to quantify the attribution of ACEs to these outcomes.

Findings: Among the 9378 respondents, the weighted count (proportion) of females was 4642 (49.5%), with a weighted mean (SD) age of 43.0 (15.8) years. In this study, 27.1% of respondents showed at least one ACE, with multiple ACEs common (37.6%) among those affected. Neglect was the most prevalent ACE (11.3%), followed by physical abuse (9.1%). Latent class analysis identified four co-occurrence profiles: low risk of ACEs, maltreatment, caregiver's maladjustment and parental loss. The strongest association with mental health outcomes was found in the caregiver's maladjustment group (OR, 4.9; 95% CI, 3.2-7.6). Estimates of PAFs indicated that all ACEs together explained 39.4% (95% CI, 31.3%-47.4%) of observed mental health outcomes. Gender differences were noted in prevalence and associations with outcomes.

Interpretation: ACEs are highly prevalent and interrelated in China, attributing to over one-third of the mental disorder burden. In resource-limited settings, prioritizing the reduction of the most prevalent and impactful ACEs through education and policy can more effectively alleviate the disease burden.

Funding: The National Twelfth Five-Year Plan for Science and Technology Support from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (grant numbers 2012BAI01B01 & 2015BAI13B00), and the National Key R&D Program of China (grant numbers 2017YFC0907800 and 2017YFC0907801).