Main author: Hilda Björk Daníelsdóttir
Institution or Company: Centre of Public Health Sciences – University of Iceland, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics – Karolinska Institutet
Co-Authors, Institution or Company:
Arna Hauksdóttir, Centre of Public Health Sciences – University of Iceland. Edda Björk Þórðardóttir, Centre of Public Health Sciences – University of Iceland. Gunnar Tómasson, Centre of Public Health Sciences – University of Iceland. Harpa Rúnarsdóttir, Centre of Public Health Sciences – University of Iceland. Jóhanna Jakobsdóttir, Centre of Public Health Sciences – University of Iceland. Thor Aspelund, Centre of Public Health Sciences – University of Iceland. Unnur Anna Valdimarsdóttir, Centre of Public Health Sciences – University of Iceland, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics – Karolinska Institutet, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have consistently been associated with elevated risk of multiple adverse health outcomes. Yet, little is known about to what extent ACEs contribute to coping ability and psychiatric resilience in adulthood. We aimed to determine the association between ACEs and coping ability and psychiatric resilience among adult women.
Methods: Participants were 19,613 women in the Icelandic Stress-And-Gene-Analysis cohort with complete data on 13 ACEs measured with the ACE-IQ. Self-reported coping ability was measured with the CD-RISC and psychiatric resilience was operationalised as low psychiatric morbidity, i.e. the sum of the inverse number of above-threshold symptom levels of PTSD, trauma-related sleep disturbances, binge drinking, depression and anxiety. Generalised linear regression assuming normal or Poisson distribution were used to assess the associations of ACEs with coping ability and psychiatric resilience controlling for multiple confounders.
Results: Number of ACEs was inversely associated with adult resilience in a dose-dependent manner; every 1 SD increase in ACE-IQ scores was associated with both lower levels of coping ability (Beta=-0.14; 95% CI-0.16,-0.13) and lower psychiatric resilience (Beta=-0.28; 95% CI-0.29,-0.27) in adulthood. Compared to those with 0 ACEs, women with 5 or more ACEs had 33% lower prevalence of high coping ability (PR=0.67, 95% CI 0.60,0.74) and 56% lower prevalence of high psychiatric resilience (PR=0.44; 95% CI 0.41,0.48).
Conclusion: Cumulative ACE exposure is associated with attenuated adult resilience among women. Future research is needed to address how children exposed to ACEs can be supported to reduce risks of compromised adult resilience and health inequalities.
