Social engagement and allostatic load mediate between adverse childhood experiences and multimorbidity in mid to late adulthood: the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Abstract Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with multimorbidity in adulthood. This link may be mediated by psychosocial and biological factors, but evidence is lacking. The current study evaluates this mediation model. Method We analyzed data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging (N = 27 170 community participants). Participants were 45–85 years at recruitment, when allostatic load and social engagement data were collected, and 3 years older at follow-up, when ACEs and multimorbidity data were collected. Structural equation modeling was used to test for mediation in the overall sample, and in sex- and age-stratified subsamples, all analyses adjusted for concurrent lifestyle confounds. Results In the overall sample, ACEs were associated with multimorbidity, directly, β = 0.12 (95% confidence interval 0.11–0.13) and indirectly. Regarding indirect associations, ACEs were related to social engagement, β = −0.14 (−0.16 to −0.12) and social engagement was related to multimorbidity, β = −0.10 (−0.12 to −0.08). ACEs were related to allostatic load, β = 0.04 (0.03–0.05) and allostatic load was related to multimorbidity, β = 0.16 (0.15–0.17). The model was significant for males and females and across age cohorts, with qualifications in the oldest stratum (age 75–85). Conclusions ACEs are related to multimorbidity, directly and via social engagement and allostatic load. This is the first study to show mediated pathways between early adversity and multimorbidity in adulthood. It provides a platform for understanding multimorbidity as a lifespan dynamic informing the co-occurrence of the varied disease processes represented in multimorbidity.

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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Gang Involvement Among Juvenile Offenders: Assessing the Mediation Effects of Substance Use and Temperament Deficits

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice ◽

10.1177/1541204019854799 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 24-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Kevin T. Wolff ◽

Michael T. Baglivio ◽

Hannah J. Klein ◽

Alex R. Piquero ◽

Matt DeLisi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Juvenile Offenders ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Mediation Effects ◽

Gang Involvement ◽

Adverse Childhood

A growing body of research has demonstrated the deleterious effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Less understood is the role of ACEs in gang involvement among juvenile offenders. The current longitudinal study employs a sample of 104,267 juvenile offenders (mean age of 16, 76% male, 46% Black non-Hispanic, 15.7% Hispanic) to examine the effect of ACE exposure on two different measures of gang involvement by age 18. We use structural equation modeling to test whether higher ACE exposure at Time 1 predicts gang involvement and whether current substance use and/or difficult temperament mediates the ACE-gang involvement relationship. Results indicate ACE exposure at Time 1 predicts gang involvement by age 18, but that much of the effect of ACEs on later gang involvement can be explained by their impact on current substance abuse and difficult temperament. Implications for juvenile justice systems are discussed.

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Adverse Childhood Experiences and Rate of Memory Decline From Mid to Later-Life: Evidence From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

American Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/aje/kwab019 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Brendan Q O’Shea ◽

Panayotes Demakakos ◽

Dorina Cadar ◽

Lindsay C Kobayashi

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Foster Care ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Later Life ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Memory Decline ◽

Adverse Childhood ◽

Rate Of Decline ◽

English Longitudinal Study

Abstract Evidence on the role of early-life adversity in later-life memory decline is conflicting. We investigated the relationships between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and memory performance and rate of decline over a ten-year follow-up among mid-to-older adults in England. Data were from biennial interviews with 5,223 participants aged 54+ in the population-representative English Longitudinal Study of Ageing from 2006/07-2016/17. We examined self-reports of nine ACEs prior to age 16, which related to abuse, household dysfunction, and separation from family. Memory was assessed at each time point as immediate and delayed recall of 10 words. Using linear mixed-effects models with person-specific random intercepts and slopes and adjusted for baseline age, age2, sex, ethnicity, and childhood socioeconomic factors, we observed that most individual and cumulative ACE exposures had null-to-weakly negative associations with memory function and rate of decline over the 10-year follow-up. Having lived in residential or foster care was associated with lower baseline memory (adjusted β = -0.124 standard deviation units, 95% confidence interval: -0.273, -0.025), but not memory decline. Our findings suggest potential long-run impacts of residential or foster care on memory, and highlight the need for accurate and detailed exposure measures when studying ACEs in relation to later-life cognitive outcomes.

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Associations between Childhood Abuse, Resilience, Mindfulness, and Waterpipe Smoking: Implications for Cessation Interventions

The Journal of Smoking Cessation ◽

10.1155/2021/6648779 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Mohammadreza Naghavi ◽

Nouzar Nakhaee

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Childhood Abuse ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Short Form ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Waterpipe Smoking ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Adverse Childhood

Introduction. Recent research has established a link between childhood abuse and later drug abuse. For waterpipe smoking (WPS), such a role has not been adequately clarified. Aims. To explore the mediating effect of resilience and mindfulness on the association between childhood abuse and current WPS among college students. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a consecutive sample ( n = 776 ) of college students in Kerman, Iran. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Abuse Short Form, the 14-item Resilience Scale, and the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory were used. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the complex associations between variables. Results. Nearly 95% of participants were aged between 18 and 27 years, and the mean (SD) age of students was 22.2 (3.1). Most of them were single (84.4), and 52.7% were female. Prevalence of lifetime and current WPS among students was 49.6% and 33.4%, respectively. Less than one-third ( n = 228 ) of lifetime users first tried smoking by the age of 18. The risk of current WPS was significantly higher in males than females ( β = 0.25 , P < 0.001 ). Childhood abuse was directly associated with current WPS ( β = 0.20 , P < 0.001 ) and resilience ( β = − 0.12 , P < 0.05 ). Adverse childhood experiences were also indirectly (mediated by the effect of the resilience, path coefficient = 0.06 , P < 0.001 ) associated with the risk of WPS. No relationship was seen between trait mindfulness and current WPS ( β = − 0.02 , P = 0.393 ). Resilience was negatively associated with current WPS ( β = − 0.47 , P < 0.001 ). Conclusion. The study revealed the potential importance of childhood abuse and low resilience as risk factors precipitating the onset of WPS. Further studies are warranted to examine the implications of this study for quitting WPS.

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Life Course Pathways From Adverse Childhood Experiences to Adult Physical Health: A Structural Equation Model

Journal of Aging and Health ◽

10.1177/0898264317726448 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 211-230 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Paula S. Nurius ◽

Christopher M. Fleming ◽

Eleanor Brindle

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Physical Health ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Health Risk Behaviors ◽

Equation Model ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Behavioral Risk ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Adverse Childhood

Objective: This study examines pathways from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to physical health, directly and indirectly through lower income, health risk behaviors, social support, and adult adversity within a theoretical framework postulating stress proliferative and biological trajectories of cumulative adversity. Method: Data were obtained from 12,549 adult respondents of a state Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Multigroup structural equation modeling elucidated pathways differentiated by sex and age (older/younger than 45). Results: Good model fit was achieved in each test, indicating consistency with stress theorizing that ACEs significantly contribute to poorer physical health through direct and mediated paths. Younger adults evidenced direct ACE pathway to poor health suggesting early biological erosion, whereas paucity of social support among older adults was directly associated. Discussion: Findings indicate that stress process roles in eroding physical health and experience of wellness. Addressing early adversity is an important strategy toward reducing preventable health problems.

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Adverse childhood experiences in depression and the mediating role of multimorbidity in mid-late life: A nationwide longitudinal study

Journal of Affective Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.040 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Xiao Zheng ◽

Chichen Zhang ◽

Yuehua Cui ◽

Yaqing Xue ◽

Lei Shi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Late Life ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Adverse Childhood

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Adverse childhood experiences, non-response and loss to follow-up: Findings from a prospective birth cohort and recommendations for addressing missing data

Longitudinal and Life Course Studies ◽

10.14301/llcs.v8i4.414 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

James Doidge ◽

Ben Edwards ◽

Daryl Higgins ◽

Leonie Segal

Keyword(s):

Missing Data ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Loss To Follow Up ◽

Adverse Childhood ◽

Prospective Birth Cohort

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Associations of Adverse Childhood Experiences with Executive Function and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3666 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 1034-1035

Author(s):

Cindy Tsotsoros ◽

Madison Stout ◽

Misty Hawkins

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Cognitive Tasks ◽

Neurocognitive Performance ◽

Brain Health ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Adverse Childhood ◽

Beta Coefficient ◽

Neurotropic Factor

Abstract Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may predict markers of neurocognitive performance (i.e., executive function; EF) and brain health/plasticity (i.e., brain-derived neurotropic factor; BDNF). This pilot examined the magnitude of effects between: 1) ACES and EF performance, 2) ACEs and BDNF levels, and 3) EF performance and BDNF levels. We hypothesize that higher ACEs will be associated with poorer EF scores and lower BNDF levels and that lower EF scores will be associated with lower BDNF levels. Given the pilot nature of the study, an emphasis is placed on effect size vs. significance. Participants were 36 middle-aged women enrolled in the NICE SPACES trial (age=31.4 years, BMI=34.2, racially minoritized=37.9%). ACES were quantified using the 10-item Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale. EF was measured using the fluid cognition composite from the NIH Toolbox – Cognition Battery. BDNF was estimated using proBDNF levels estimated from serum collected via venipuncture. Higher ACEs levels were not directly associated with EF scores (b = 0.03, p = .854); but did show a meaningful negative beta coefficient with BDNF levels (b = -0.34, p = .053). EF scores and BDNF showed a positive coefficient that did not reach significance (b = .26, p = .122). In a modest pilot of middle-age women, higher ACEs were associated with lower BDNF, indicating greater adversity in childhood is linked to lower neurotrophins levels in adulthood. The lower BDNF levels may help explain poorer performance on cognitive tasks. Larger follow-up studies in more powered samples are warranted given the size of detected coefficients.

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Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Epigenetic Age and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3454 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 967-967

Author(s):

Eric Klopack ◽

Eileen Crimmins ◽

Steve Cole ◽

Teresa Seeman ◽

Judith Carroll

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Physiological Mechanism ◽

Lifestyle Factors ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Biological Aging ◽

Older Americans ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Adverse Childhood

Abstract Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase risk for depression in adolescents and older adults and have been linked to accelerated biological aging. We hypothesized that accelerated epigenetic aging may partially explain the link between ACEs and depression. This study examines second-generation epigenetic clocks (viz., GrimAge, PhenoAge, and DunedinPoAm38) as mediators of the link between ACEs and depressive symptoms in older adulthood. We utilize structural equation modeling to assess mediation in the Innovative Subsample of the Venous Blood Study from the Health and Retirement Study (N = 2672). Results indicate that experiencing more than 1 ACE is significantly associated with greater GrimAge and DunedinPoAm38, with limited evidence of increasing aging with increasing ACEs. GrimAge and DunedinPoAm38 were also significantly associated with more depressive symptoms. These associations were partially reduced by lifestyle factors. GrimAge explained between 9 and 13% of the association between ACEs and adult depressive symptoms, and DunedinPoAm38 explained between 2 and 7% of the association between ACEs and adult depressive symptoms. Findings indicate that accelerated aging, as measured by GrimAge and DunedinPoAm38, is strongly associated with ACEs in older Americans, that these clocks are highly associated with depressive symptoms in older Americans, and that these clocks mediate a proportion of the association between ACEs and adult depressive symptoms. Epigenetic clocks may represent a physiological mechanism underlying the link between early life adversity and adult depression. Lifestyle factors are a potential area for intervention.

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