What is it about?
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have serious lifelong repercussions. ACEs entail a greater risk of falling ill, and of dying prematurely, from a range of common diseases and conditions. These include severe mental ill-health, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The more numerous the ACEs, the higher the risk of negative consequences. The present study is distinguished by the unusually large number of respondent couples. A total of 818 (1636 individuals, comprising 818 mothers and their 818 partners, 3 of whom were women) took part, submitting answers to the questionnaire, one year after having a child together. The ACEs focused on were both mental and physical abuse and neglect; sexual assault; and problematic situations in the family like criminal behaviour, substance abuse, violence, mental disorders and separations. Individual ACEs were common among all respondents, and 11 per cent of the women and 9 per cent of their partners reported having four or more such experiences. In 2 per cent of the couples, both individuals recounted at least four ACEs. If one person in a couple had undergone them, the other was more likely to have done so as well.
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Why is it important?
The greater the number of ACEs for the woman, the partner and the couple together, the worse their adult prospects turned out to be. In couples where both partners stated they had had a hard time as children, the connection between negative childhood experience and a relatively unfavourable living situation in adulthood became especially clear.
Perspectives
The fact that ACEs in early life can have such grave consequences is connected with the severe, toxic stress that affects children’s central nervous system and other organs while they are growing up. ‘Toxic stress’ means strong, frequent and lasting activation of the body’s stress-response system. This indicates that ACEs have a far-reaching negative impact on people’s lives and health up to an advanced age, and may also affect the next generation. Previous studies show that combating toxic stress in the early years brings gains for society: it improves student performance, boosts economic productivity and enhances citizens’ sense of responsibility.
Per Kristiansson
Uppsala Universitet
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Adverse Childhood Experiences are associated with choice of partner, both partners' relationship and psychosocial health as reported one year after birth of a common child. A cross-sectional study, PLoS ONE, January 2021, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244696.
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