Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health at Age 50 Years in the National Child Development Study

What can we tell from the magnitudes of associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and different health outcomes at age 50 years?In this cohort study of 16 321 participants in the National Child Development Study, ACEs showed associations of differing magnitude with individual health outcomes. The size and pattern of excess risk differed between men and women; however, severe pain and poor mental health showed the largest excess risks in both sexes.These findings suggest that ACEs may not have an indiscriminate association with later poor health and that a targeted approach may be warranted to address specific vulnerabilities (eg, severe pain), while broad-spectrum interventions remain important to ameliorate the influence of ACEs on multiple outcomes.

Corresponding Author: Gary J. Macfarlane, MD (Hons), Epidemiology Group, University of Aberdeen, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom (g.j.macfarlane@abdn.ac.uk).

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