The association of adverse childhood experiences with household income, educational attainment and partnered status among adults aged 30-39

Background The association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with young adult social outcomes is poorly understood. Objective To examine the relationship between ACEs and young adult household income, education, and partnered status. Participants and Setting: 13,767 respondents (population-weighted estimate N = 13,191,291) aged 30–39 completed the optional ACES module in the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 17 states. Methods The 2019 BRFSS was used to analyze the significance of ACE scores for the likelihood of reporting household income greater than $75,000, a college or postgraduate degree, and living with a partner among respondents aged 30–39. Poisson regression analyses controlled for sociodemographic, health status, and behavioral risk characteristics. Results As compared to those with zero ACEs, respondents reporting four or more ACE exposures (20.2% of respondents) were marginally less likely to report high income (IRR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.79–0.97) and one-third less likely to report a college degree (IRR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.61–0.76), with no significant difference in partnered status. Conclusions Young adult social status may be shaped by social-emotional effects of ACEs that go beyond demographic and health status differences. Enhancing resilience to childhood adversity can benefit from a trauma-informed approach in health care, education, and employment.