Patterns of adverse childhood experiences and associations with lower mental well-being among university students.
Child Abuse Negl
; 152: 106770, 2024 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38555713
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
University students report high levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which can lead to severe mental health problems. Understanding how ACEs impact well-being in this population is essential, yet research to date is limited.OBJECTIVE:
To explore ACE patterns and their association with lower well-being in university students. PARTICIPANTS ANDSETTING:
1023 Spanish students (71.6 % female) aged between 18 and 64 years old (M = 20.10, SD = 3.93) completed a self-report questionnaire.METHODS:
This study used a cross-sectional design. The ACE International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) and the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale were used to assess, respectively, childhood adversities and mental well-being. Latent Class Analysis and regression modeling were conducted to analyze the link between ACEs and lower mental well-being, considering the covariates of age, country of origin, sexual orientation, and mental illness.RESULTS:
Four ACE classes were identified Low ACEs (49.5 %), Dysfunctional Household (12.3 %), Household and Peer Abuse (31.0 %), and High ACEs (7.2 %). The regression analysis (F(3, 1007) = 19.2, p < .001, R2adj = 0.054) successfully predicted well-being scores based on ACE classes. When compared with the Low ACE class, all other classes exhibited lower levels of well-being. Age, sexual orientation, and mental illness were also related to lower well-being, with mental illness having the strongest negative effect (ß = -0.635, t(1015) = -6.49, p < .001).CONCLUSIONS:
These findings underscore the relationship between childhood adversity and mental health, offering insights for future prevention efforts and enriching our understanding of ACEs and their impact on well-being.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Estudantes
/
Saúde Mental
/
Experiências Adversas da Infância
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Female
/
Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article