The Direct and Indirect Influences of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Physical Health: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

A growing and significant body of research has documented the close relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and health outcomes in adults. Less is known about the complex pathways through which ACEs exert their influence. This article examines the direct relationship between the quality of perceived physical health and childhood adversities. The association between the adversities and the physical health with other psychological and social variables is also analyzed. Data were collected from a sample of 170 subjects, using tools to assess adverse childhood experiences, physical health-related quality of life, socioeconomic vulnerability, emotion regulation, coping strategies, attachment, and social support. Results showed a high frequency of ACEs among the adult population, and the correlation with poor physical health was highly significant. Regression equations to predict physical health also revealed the following as significant variables: wishful thinking, social withdrawal, and cognitive restructuring as coping styles; reappraisal to achieve emotion regulation; fear of rejection or abandonment, and desire for closeness in relation to attachment figures; hardship; and poor financial support. The relationship between the different forms of ACE and social vulnerability identifies the important indirect contribution of childhood adversity to health and socioeconomic conditions in adulthood.

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences; attachment; coping strategies; emotion regulation; physical health; quality of life; social support; social vulnerability.