What is the background to this research?
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events or difficult circumstances during childhood which are known to affect both people’s immediate wellbeing and long-term health. However, most previous studies have only looked at how childhood trauma affects single health conditions. This made it difficult to understand which health problems are most strongly connected to childhood adversity, and whether some people might be more vulnerable than others. Better understanding these patterns could help healthcare providers and policymakers develop more targeted support for people who experienced childhood trauma.
What did we seek to find out?
Researchers from the Consortium Against Pain Inequality (CAPE) study wanted to understand how different types of childhood trauma affect various health conditions in adulthood, and whether the impact is the same across all health problems. They also wanted to find out if men and women are affected differently by childhood adversity, and whether experiencing more types of trauma leads to greater health problems later in life.
What did we do?
Researchers analysed data from over 16,000 people born in the UK in 1958 who were followed-up into adult life to understand how difficult childhood experiences affected their health at age 50 years. They looked at 14 types of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including: abuse, neglect, family conflict, bullying, financial hardship, and family illness, and how these had an impact on people’s health.
What did we find?
Not all health problems are equally affected by childhood trauma. While previous research suggested that childhood adversity increases the risk of all health conditions, this study found that some conditions are much more strongly linked to ACEs than others.
Mental health problems and severe pain showed the strongest connections to childhood trauma. Adults who experienced childhood adversity were significantly more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and chronic pain at age 50.
Women were affected more than men. Female participants who experienced multiple childhood adversities showed higher rates of mental health problems, with nearly 1 in 5 affected compared to 1 in 8 among those without childhood trauma.
The more trauma, the greater the impact. People who experienced four or more types of childhood adversity had the highest risk of developing health problems as adults.
Some conditions weren't linked to childhood trauma at all, including migraines, hay fever, eyesight problems, and skin conditions.
Why does this research matter?
This research shows that childhood trauma doesn't affect all aspects of health equally. While broad prevention and support programs remain important, targeted interventions focusing on mental health and pain management may be particularly beneficial for people who experienced childhood adversity. The findings also highlight the importance of preventing childhood trauma and providing early support to at-risk families.
Who funded this study?
This research was funded by the Medical Research Council and Versus Arthritis as part of the Advanced Pain Discovery Platform initiative.
Where can I read more?
You can read the full research paper here.