Long Term Physical Health Consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Shannon M. Monnat, Pennsylvania State University
Raeven Faye Chandler, Pennsylvania State University

This study examined associations between adverse childhood experiences and adult physical health using data from 52,250 US adults aged 18-64 from the 2009-2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). We found that experiencing childhood physical, verbal, or sexual abuse, witnessing parental domestic violence, experiencing parental divorce, and living with someone who was depressed, abused drugs or alcohol, or who had been incarcerated were associated with one or more of the following health outcomes: self-rated health, diabetes, heart attack, heart disease, and functional limitations. Adult socioeconomic status and health behaviors significantly mediated several of these associations. The results of this study highlight the importance of family-based adverse childhood experience on adult health outcomes and suggest that adult SES and stress-related coping behaviors may be crucial links between trauma in the childhood home and adult health.