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Associations of adverse childhood experiences with educational attainment and adolescent health and the role of family and socioeconomic factors: A prospective cohort study in the UK

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  • Lotte C Houtepen
  • Jon Heron
  • Matthew J Suderman
  • Abigail Fraser
  • Catherine R Chittleborough
  • Laura D Howe

Abstract

Background: Experiencing multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is a risk factor for many adverse outcomes. We explore associations of ACEs with educational attainment and adolescent health and the role of family and socioeconomic factors in these associations. Methods and findings: Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a prospective cohort of children born in southwest England in 1991–1992, we assess associations of ACEs between birth and 16 years (sexual, physical, or emotional abuse; emotional neglect; parental substance abuse; parental mental illness or suicide attempt; violence between parents; parental separation; bullying; and parental criminal conviction, with data collected on multiple occasions between birth and age 16) with educational attainment at 16 years (n = 9,959) and health at age 17 years (depression, obesity, harmful alcohol use, smoking, and illicit drug use; n = 4,917). We explore the extent to which associations are robust to adjustment for family and socioeconomic factors (home ownership, mother and partner’s highest educational qualification, household social class, parity, child’s ethnicity, mother’s age, mother’s marital status, mother’s depression score at 18 and 32 weeks gestation, and mother’s partner’s depression score at 18 weeks gestation) and whether associations differ according to socioeconomic factors, and we estimate the proportion of adverse educational and health outcomes attributable to ACEs or family or socioeconomic measures. Among the 9,959 participants (49.5% female) included in analysis of educational outcomes, 84% reported at least one ACE, 24% reported 4 or more ACEs, and 54.5% received 5 or more General Certificates of Secondary Education (GCSEs) at grade C or above, including English and Maths. Among the 4,917 participants (50.1% female) included in analysis of health outcomes, 7.3% were obese, 8.7% had depression, 19.5% reported smoking, 16.1% reported drug use, and 10.9% reported harmful alcohol use. There were associations of ACEs with lower educational attainment and higher risk of depression, drug use, and smoking. For example, odds ratios (ORs) for 4+ ACEs compared with no ACEs after adjustment for confounders were depression, 2.4 (1.6–3.8, p

Suggested Citation

  • Lotte C Houtepen & Jon Heron & Matthew J Suderman & Abigail Fraser & Catherine R Chittleborough & Laura D Howe, 2020. "Associations of adverse childhood experiences with educational attainment and adolescent health and the role of family and socioeconomic factors: A prospective cohort study in the UK," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(3), pages 1-21, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pmed00:1003031
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003031
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    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Han & Ackert, Lucy F. & Chang, Fang & Oyelere, Ruth Uwaifo & Qi, Li & Shi, Yaojiang, 2022. "Childhood trauma among Chinese inmates," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Li, Sen & Lin, Yijin & Liu, Panpan & Xing, Shufen, 2023. "Childhood emotional neglect and adolescent depression: Roles of maladaptive self-cognition and friendship quality," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    3. Siri H. Haugland & Tobias H. Elgán, 2021. "Prevalence of Parental Alcohol Problems among a General Population Sample of 28,047 Norwegian Adults: Evidence for a Socioeconomic Gradient," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-10, May.
    4. Orlando Uccellini & Andrea Benlodi & Emanuele Caroppo & Loredana Cena & Gianluca Esposito & Isabel Fernandez & Maria Ghazanfar & Antonio Imbasciati & Francesco Longo & Marianna Mazza & Giuseppe Marano, 2022. "1000 Days: The “WeCare Generation” Program—The Ultimate Model for Improving Human Mental Health and Economics: The Study Protocol," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-11, December.
    5. Tonje Holte Stea & Herolinda Shatri & Siri Håvås Haugland & Annette Løvheim Kleppang, 2022. "Association between Self-Reported Childhood Difficulties and Obesity and Health-Related Behaviors in Adulthood—A Cross-Sectional Study among 28,047 Adults from the General Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-13, January.
    6. Liam Spencer & Hayley Alderson & Steph Scott & Eileen Kaner & Jonathan Ling, 2023. "‘The Addiction Was Making Things Harder for My Mental Health’: A Qualitative Exploration of the Views of Adults and Adolescents Accessing a Substance Misuse Treatment Service," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(11), pages 1-16, May.

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