{"title":"Adverse Childhood Experiences and Cognitive-Functional Aging Trajectories: A Nationally Representative Study in China.","authors":"Yuan Sun, Qian-Wen Xie, Jiaqi Deng","doi":"10.1080/07317115.2026.2723617","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Backgrounds: </strong>Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with long-term health risks, yet how childhood adversity shapes joint trajectories of cognitive and functional aging remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study examined associations between ACEs and joint cognitive-functional trajectories and tested whether social participation moderates these relationships.</p><p><strong>Participants and settings: </strong>Data were drawn from 8,590 adults aged 45+ across five waves (2011-2020) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Group-based trajectory modeling identified joint cognitive-functional patterns. Multinomial logistic regression assessed associations between ACEs and trajectory membership, with social participation moderation tested.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five distinct trajectories emerged. Each additional ACE was associated with 24% higher risk of the most disadvantaged trajectory. Both threat- and deprivation-related ACEs predicted adverse trajectories, with bullying and household mental illness showing strongest associations. Social participation was independently associated with more favorable trajectories, but did not significantly moderate the association between ACEs (cumulative, threat-related, or deprivation-related) and trajectory membership.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>ACEs were associated with heterogeneous cognitive-functional aging pathways in a dose-response manner. While social participation was independently linked to more favorable trajectories, it did not buffer the adverse associations between ACEs and trajectory membership.</p>","PeriodicalId":10376,"journal":{"name":"Clinical Gerontologist","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Clinical Gerontologist","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2026.2723617","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Backgrounds: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with long-term health risks, yet how childhood adversity shapes joint trajectories of cognitive and functional aging remains unclear.
Objectives: This study examined associations between ACEs and joint cognitive-functional trajectories and tested whether social participation moderates these relationships.
Participants and settings: Data were drawn from 8,590 adults aged 45+ across five waves (2011-2020) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.
Methods: Group-based trajectory modeling identified joint cognitive-functional patterns. Multinomial logistic regression assessed associations between ACEs and trajectory membership, with social participation moderation tested.
Results: Five distinct trajectories emerged. Each additional ACE was associated with 24% higher risk of the most disadvantaged trajectory. Both threat- and deprivation-related ACEs predicted adverse trajectories, with bullying and household mental illness showing strongest associations. Social participation was independently associated with more favorable trajectories, but did not significantly moderate the association between ACEs (cumulative, threat-related, or deprivation-related) and trajectory membership.
Conclusions: ACEs were associated with heterogeneous cognitive-functional aging pathways in a dose-response manner. While social participation was independently linked to more favorable trajectories, it did not buffer the adverse associations between ACEs and trajectory membership.
期刊介绍：
Clinical Gerontologist presents original research, reviews, and clinical comments relevant to the needs of behavioral health professionals and all practitioners who work with older adults. Published in cooperation with Psychologists in Long Term Care, the journal is designed for psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors (family, pastoral, and vocational), and other health professionals who address behavioral health concerns found in later life, including:
-adjustments to changing roles-
issues related to diversity and aging-
family caregiving-
spirituality-
cognitive and psychosocial assessment-
depression, anxiety, and PTSD-
Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders-
long term care-
behavioral medicine in aging-
rehabilitation and education for older adults.
Each issue provides insightful articles on current topics. Submissions are peer reviewed by content experts and selected for both scholarship and relevance to the practitioner to ensure that the articles are among the best in the field. Authors report original research and conceptual reviews. A unique column in Clinical Gerontologist is “Clinical Comments." This section features brief observations and specific suggestions from practitioners which avoid elaborate research designs or long reference lists. This section is a unique opportunity for you to learn about the valuable clinical work of your peers in a short, concise format.
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