Study examines adverse childhood experiences and children's mental health

Researchers from Cardiff and Swansea University have undertaken work to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their impact on mental health problems in children.

The study was led by Dr Emily Lowthian from Swansea University and DECIPHER in collaboration with Professor Ann John, Swansea University and workstream research lead at the Wolfson Centre and Dr Rebecca Anthony, also from the Wolfson Centre and DECIPHER.

Dr Rebecca Anthony said: “In this study, we analysed data from a birth cohort of over 190,000 children in Wales, between the years of 1998 and 2012. Adverse childhood experiences can include living with someone who had an alcohol-related problem, a common mental health problem or serious mental illness, or experiencing victimisation or death of a household member. Using this data, we explored associations between five individual ACEs and child mental health diagnoses or symptoms during the first fifteen years of a child’s life.”

The five child mental health diagnoses examined in the study included: (i) externalising symptoms (anti-social behaviour), (ii) internalising symptoms (stress, anxiety, depression), (iii) developmental delay (e.g. learning disability), (iv) other (e.g. eating disorder, personality disorders), and (v) any mental health diagnosis, (combining externalising symptoms, internalising symptoms and others).

Professor Ann John added: “This increased risk of any child mental health diagnosis was particularly associated with victimisation and living with an adult with a common mental health diagnosis. This highlights the need for policy measures and intervention strategies to best support children and their families.”

Dr Anthony concluded: “This study showcases the importance of collaborative and interdisciplinary work in the field of youth mental health and also highlights further why the research of the Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health at Cardiff University, along with our partners in Swansea, couldn’t be more timely.
We are looking forward to continuing to work to improve interventions and support for young people and their families facing mental health challenges.”

The study “Adverse childhood experiences and child mental health: an electronic birth cohort study” was published in BMC Medical and is available to view online.