Relationships Between Recent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Somatic Symptoms in Adolescence

Abstract

Early identification and interventions are imperative for mitigating the harmful effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Nonetheless, a substantial barrier persists in identifying adolescents experiencing ACEs. One understudied avenue for early identification of ACEs is through the examination of somatic symptoms endorsed by adolescents. Understanding the relationship between recent ACEs exposure and somatic symptoms may serve as a useful indicator for identifying adolescents affected by ACEs. This study examines the relationships between recent exposure to ACEs (within the past one to two years) and somatic symptoms across adolescence (ages 12-16 years). Longitudinal prospective data of 1354 child and caregiver dyads from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect were used in this study. Data from three time points, when adolescents were 12, 14, and 16, were used to conduct longitudinal path analyses. Somatic symptoms- defined as physical symptoms without known medical causes- were measured using the caregiver-report subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist. Recent ACEs in the past one to two years were measured using an index score summing exposure to nine ACE variables. The results indicated a significant association between recent ACEs and increased somatic symptoms at age 12. However, there were no significant associations between recent ACEs and somatic symptoms at ages 14 and 16. The findings indicate a notably stronger relationship between recent ACEs exposure and the presence of increased somatic symptoms at the age of 12, in contrast to what is observed at ages 14 and 16. This finding suggests that somatic symptoms during early adolescence may suggest underlying issues, potentially stemming from stressors such as ACEs.

Keywords: adolescent health; adverse childhood experiences; child maltreatment; household dysfunction; somatic symptoms; somatization.

Fig. 1

Hypothesized Model

Fig. 2

Standardized Results of Longitudinal Path Analyses Between ACEs and Somatic symptoms. Note. χ²(4)8.103, p = 0.089, RMSEA = 0.028, CFI = 0.994, TLI = 0.909, SRMR = 0.011, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001

Fig. 3

Standardized Results with Cross-Lagged Paths between Past Somatic Symptoms and ACE. χ²(2)0.248 = p = 0.8834, RMSEA = 0.000, CFI = 1.000, TLI = 1.000, SRMR = 0.002 *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001