Longitudinal impacts of adverse childhood experiences on multidimensional health outcomes: Predicting trajectories in mental, physical, and behavioral health

BACKGROUND:Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) elevate the risk of poor health later in life. OBJECTIVE:This study aims to provide a more comprehensive investigation of the multidimensional health risks associated with ACEs, to address a gap in the understanding of their longitudinal impact on mental, physical, and behavioral health domains. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING:This study included 6, 504 participants (51.61 % females) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (1994-2018). METHODS:We utilized latent class growth analysis to identify trajectories from adolescence to adulthood in three health domains: depression (Mental Health, MH), self-report physical health (SRH), and binge drinking frequency (BDF). Binary logistic regression was then used to assess the unique contributions of different types of ACEs to these longitudinal health trajectories. RESULTS:Three to four trajectories were identified for MH (consistently low, decreasing, increasing), SRH (consistently low, decreasing, increasing, consistently high), and BDF (consistently low, decreasing, moderate). Regression results showed that experience of emotional abuse and witnessed community violence elevated the risk associated with unfavorable trajectories in the mental health and behavioral health domains, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:Individual ACEs differentially predicted mental, physical, and behavioral health trajectories, potentially through various pathways. Prevention of ACEs could mitigate health risks for adolescents and young adults across these domains.