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Cited by 157Child Abuse and TraumaChild Welfare and AdoptionChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Well-Being in a Low-income, Urban Cohort

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Giovanelli, Alison, Reynolds, Arthur J., Mondi, Christina F., Ou, Suh-Ruu·2016·Pediatrics
DOI 10.1542/peds.2015-4016PMC PMC4991352
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study tests the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and multidimensional well-being in early adulthood for a low-income, urban cohort, and whether a preschool preventive intervention moderates this association. METHODS: Follow-up data were analyzed for 1202 low-income, minority participants in the Chicago Longitudinal Study, a prospective investigation of the impact of early experiences on life-course well-being. Born between 1979 and 1980 in high-poverty neighborhoods, individuals retrospectively reported ACEs from birth to adolescence, except in cases of child abuse and neglect. RESULTS: Nearly two-thirds of the study sample experienced ≥1 ACEs by age 18. After controlling for demographic factors and early intervention status, individuals reporting ACEs were significantly more likely to exhibit poor outcomes than those with no ACEs. Those with ≥4 ACEs had significantly reduced likelihood of high school graduation (odds ratio [OR] = 0.37; P < .001), increased risk for depression (OR = 3.9; P < .001), health compromising behaviors (OR = 4.5; P < .001), juvenile arrest (OR = 3.1; P < .001), and felony charges (OR = 2.8; P < .001). They were also less likely to hold skilled jobs (OR = 0.50; P = .001) and to go further in school even for adversity measured by age 5. CONCLUSIONS: ACEs consistently predicted a diverse set of adult outcomes in a high-risk, economically disadvantaged sample. Effective and widely available preventive interventions are needed to counteract the long-term consequences of ACEs.

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  • Early adversity is associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, ischemic heart disease, cancers, depression, addictions, premature mortality, unemployment, and lower educational attainment.

    “Outcomes associated with early adversity include higher risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, ischemic heart disease, cancers, depression, addictions, and premature mortality, as well as social outcomes including unemployment and lower educational attainment [1–8].”

    From Biological embedding of childhood adversity: from physiological mechanisms to clinical implications (2017) · cites this paper as [4]

    The introduction reports prior findings linking adverse childhood experiences to obesity, depression, substance abuse, and heart disease; the Results link them to depression and lower educational attainment in this cohort. The cited paper does not establish the more specific claims about type 2 diabetes or ischemic heart disease, or address cancer, premature mortality, or unemployment; lower occupational prestige is not the same as unemployment. The supplied copy gives no page numbers for these sections. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Adverse psychosocial exposures in early life are associated with increased lifetime risk of adverse outcomes including diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and psychiatric illnesses.

    “Adverse psychosocial exposures in early life, namely experiences such as child maltreatment, caregiver stress or depression, and domestic or community violence, have been associated in epidemiological studies with increased lifetime risk of adverse outcomes, including diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and psychiatric illnesses.”

    From Biological embedding of childhood adversity: from physiological mechanisms to clinical implications (2017) · cites this paper as [4]

    The Results (ACEs and Adult Well-Being; no page supplied) report a graded association between adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms, and the Conclusions describe documented physical and psychological repercussions. The paper’s reported study results do not establish increased lifetime risks of diabetes, heart disease, or cancer, so the full list of outcomes is not supported by this source. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • ELA-induced changes may mediate epidemiological links to key diseases, including obesity, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, asthma, thromboembolic events, cancer onset and progression, addictions, psychopathology, and adverse social outcomes.

    “In full, ELA-induced changes may mediate epidemiological links to key diseases, including, among others, obesity, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, asthma, thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction, stroke), cancer onset and progression, as well as addictions, psychopathology, and adverse social outcomes [1–6, 18].”

    From Biological embedding of childhood adversity: from physiological mechanisms to clinical implications (2017) · cites this paper as [4]

    The introductory passage under Abstract > Conclusions (page not specified) says that links between adverse childhood experiences and later health are mediated by physiological and social processes. It reports associations with substance abuse, obesity, depression, chronic lung disease, and heart disease; the Discussion also reports adverse social outcomes. The paper does not support the sentence’s more specific list of dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, asthma, thromboembolic events, or cancer onset and progression. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • Adverse childhood experiences predict poorer long-term outcomes across health and social domains.

    “Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that adverse childhood experiences, namely exposures such as neglect, abuse, caregiver mental illness, and family or community violence, predict poorer long-term outcomes across health and social domains.”

    From Biological embedding of childhood adversity: from physiological mechanisms to clinical implications (2017) · cites this paper as [4]

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Giovanelli, A., Reynolds, A. J., Mondi, C. F., & Ou, S.-R.
Affiliations
University of Minnesota (US)
ORCID
Venue
Pediatrics
Publisher
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Published
2016-04-01
Volume
137
Issue
4
ISSN
  • 0031-4005 (ISSN-L)
  • 1098-4275
DOI
10.1542/peds.2015-4016
PMC
PMC4991352
OpenAlex
W2295939732
Cited by
157
References
9
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 2
FWCI
21.86
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PEDIATRICS (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD034294)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
adverse childhood experiences, adult well-being, low-income urban youth, high school graduation, depression, health risk behaviors, juvenile arrests, felony charges, skilled employment, life course development, Chicago Longitudinal Study, minority youth
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Chicago, Child, Child Abuse, Child, Preschool, Crime, Family Relations, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Infant, Juvenile Delinquency, Life Change Events, Male, Mental Health, Minority Groups, Poverty Areas, Retrospective Studies, Urban Population, Health Behavior, Logistic Models, Crime Victims, Young Adult

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