Research reportAdverse childhood experiences and the risk of depressive disorders in adulthood
Section snippets
Methods
The data were collected as part of the ACE Study, a collaboration between Kaiser Permanente (San Diego, CA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta). The study was approved by the institutional review boards of Kaiser Permanente and the Office of Protection from Research Risks at the National Institutes of Health. Potential participants received letters that accompanied the ACE study questionnaire informing them that their participation was voluntary, their answers
Results
Of the 9460 respondents, 54% were women. The mean age of respondents was 56.6 years. Seventy-five percent were white; 42% were college graduates and only 7% had not graduated from high school. The prevalence of a lifetime history of depressive disorders was greater among women than men (28.9% vs. 19.4%), as was the prevalence of recent depressive disorders (15.7% vs. 8.4%). Approximately one in five women reported the presence of a mentally ill household member while they were growing up, with
Discussion
This investigation represents a departure from previous studies characteristically restricted to examination of the association between single forms of abuse and depressive disorders. Our results indicate that the majority of respondents reported at least one ACE and approximately one-third of adults experienced at least two ACEs during their childhood. This finding, and prior publications from the ACE Study Anda et al., 1999, Dube et al., 2002, Felitti et al., 1998, suggest that detection of
Acknowledgements
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study was supported by a grant from the Garfield Memorial Fund.
References (32)
- et al.
Bias assessment for child abuse survey: factors affecting probability of response to a survey about child abuse
Child Abuse Negl
(2001) - et al.
Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study
Am. J. Prev. Med
(1998) - et al.
Anxiety, depression, and dissociation in women health care providers reporting a history of childhood psychological abuse
Child Abuse Negl
(1997) Depressive disorders in maltreated children
J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psych
(1991)Mother and teacher assessments of behavior problems in abused children
J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psych
(1995)Childhood trauma and depression in alcoholics: relationship to hostility
J. Affect. Disord
(1999)- et al.
The long-term sequelae of child and adolescent abuse: a longitudinal community study
Child Abuse Negl
(1996) The sexual abuse of Afro-American and white American women in childhood
Child Abuse Negl
(1985)- et al.
Disability in geriatric depression
Am. J. Psychiatry
(1996) - et al.
Adverse childhood experiences and smoking during adolescence and adulthood
JAMA
(1999)
Abused boys, battered mothers, and male involvement in teen pregnancy
Pediatrics
Lifetime victimization history, demographics, and clinical status in female psychiatric emergency room patients
J. Nerv. Ment. Dis
Six-month prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders among Mexican–Americans and non-Hispanic Whites in Los Angeles
Arch. Gen. Psychiatry
Development of a brief screening instrument for detecting depressive disorders
Med. Care
Memories of childhood abuse: dissociation, amnesia, and corroboration
Am. J. Psychiatry
Childhood abuse, household dysfunction, and the risk of attempted suicide throughout the life span: findings from the adverse childhood experiences study
JAMA
Cited by (1632)
Psychological implications of man-made trauma and efficacy of “Teaching Recovery Techniques” on children and adolescents exposed to trauma
2024, European Journal of Trauma and DissociationChildhood adversity is associated with anxiety and depression in older adults: A cumulative risk and latent class analysis
2024, Journal of Affective DisordersChildhood adversity modulates structural brain changes in borderline personality but not in major depression disorder
2024, Psychiatry Research - NeuroimagingMeasuring interpersonal trauma: Development and validation of the German version of the victimization experience schedule (VES)
2024, Journal of Psychosomatic ResearchSpecific emotion regulation deficits differentiate and mediate the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and internalizing psychopathology
2024, Journal of Affective Disorders Reports