How adverse and benevolent childhood experiences influence depression and suicidal ideation in Chinese undergraduates: a latent class analysis

Abstract

Background: There has been minimal research on the role of benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) and how such events may offer protection from the insidious effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or later in life.Objectives: This research aims to learn how BCEs and ACEs interact to affect adolescents' psychological distress. Methods: Cross-sectional survey was conducted in three cities (Xuzhou, Nanjing, and Wuhan) in China from March 2021 to May 2021. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to classify the patterns of ACEs and BCEs. We adopted hierarchical multivariable regression to examine the influences of ACEs and BCEs on depression and suicidal ideation. Results: To explore the relationship between childhood experience and suicidal ideation and depression, LCA revealed three patterns of ACEs: (1) emotional abuse (10.57%); (2) high ACEs (0.55%); and (3) low ACEs classes (88.88%). Adolescents with emotional abuse (depression: OR = 3.82, 95%CI = 2.80-5.22, P < 0.001; suicidal ideation: OR = 5.766, 95%CI = 3.97-8.38, P < 0.001) and high ACEs class (suicidal ideation: OR = 5.93, 95%CI = 1.19-29.66, P < 0.05) had an increased risk of psychological distress (reference: low ACEs). LCA revealed four patterns of BCEs: (1) relationship support (14.54%); (2) low BCEs (4.85%); (3) high BCEs (55.34%); and (4) high quality of life classes (25.28%). Adolescents with a high quality of life (depression: OR = 0.09, 95%CI = 0.05-0.16, P < 0.001; suicidal ideation: OR = 0.22, 95%CI = 0.12-0.40, P < 0.001) and high BCEs (depression: OR = 0.05, 95%CI = 0.03-0.09, P < 0.001; suicidal ideation: OR = 0.15, 95%CI = 0.09-0.26, P < 0.001) protected the mental health of adolescents (reference: low BCEs). Conclusions: High ACEs and emotional abuse classes were significantly associated with poorer mental health symptoms, including suicidal ideation and depression. In contrast, high BCEs and high quality of life classes were associated with better mental health. These findings point out that it is more necessary to identify and support victims of ACEs, and it is urgent to increase BCEs in early childhood.

The relationship between adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms in rural left-behind adolescents: A cross-sectional survey

“…The study recommended the development of intervention strategies encompassing adverse childhood experiences, economic factors, and mental health. It also uncovered the positive impact of favorable childhood experiences on mental health [ 51 ]. Another meta-analysis demonstrated the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in alleviating depressive symptoms among adolescents [ 52 ].…”

A systematic review of positive childhood experiences and adult outcomes: Promotive and protective processes for resilience in the context of childhood adversity

“…Bethell et al (2019) also found that higher PCEs predicted lower odds of depression/poor mental health. Other mental health outcomes included lower suicidal ideation and attempts Kuhar & Kocjan, 2021;Tang et al, 2023;Narayan et al, 2023a), lower symptoms of and higher remission from personality disorders (Gunay-Oge et al, 2020b;Skodol et al, 2007), lower disturbances from complex PTSD symptoms (Karatzias et al, 2020), lower severity of global mental health symptoms (Rodriguez et al, 2021), and higher self-ratings of mental health (Kuhar & Kocjan, 2021). Higher PCEs were also linked to lower prenatal psychopathology, including lower thought problems, detachment, and disinhibited externalizing behaviors (Clark et al, 2023).…”

Prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms and associated factors among woodwork workers in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia; a comparative cross-sectional study

“…The European Union and Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) regulations stipulate a marginal value for wood dust exposure level [ 5 ], and such regulation is single 8-hour time weighted average(TWA) of 5 mg/m 3 and a short term exposure limit(STEL) of 10 mg/m 3 for all hard wood and soft wood dusts [ 6 ]. Occupational exposure to wood dust has been linked to a variety of respiratory disorders, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, and lung function impairment [ 4 , 7 ].…”