Researchers link loneliness and social isolation to fewer years of healthy living.
A study of young adults has found that difficult experiences during childhood are strongly linked to mental health problems, substance use, and other challenges later in life. Researchers found that people who reported four or more adverse childhood experiences had much higher rates of depression, thoughts of suicide, hard drug use, and violence in relationships than those who reported no such experiences. The research, published September 24 in JAMA Network Open, examined the effects of childhood adversity on people entering adulthood. The participants had an average age of 19, allowing researchers to study the possible effects of early hardship while those experiences were still relatively recent.
The study was led by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Jeff Temple, PhD, a professor and associate dean for clinical research at the university’s School of Behavioral Health Sciences, served as the first author. He noted that many earlier studies examined adults recalling childhood experiences decades later. By focusing on young adults, the research team was able to examine the relationship between reported adversity and health outcomes closer to the time those events occurred.
Researchers studied 1,850 young adults using the Philadelphia Adverse Childhood Experiences survey. The 21-question survey measures both personal hardships within the home and difficult experiences in the wider community. This approach allowed the team to consider a broader range of childhood stress than studies focused only on family experiences.
Personal hardships included emotional or physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and witnessing violence between people in the household. Other experiences included living with a family member who struggled with substance use or mental illness or having a family member who was incarcerated. The survey also asked about experiences outside the home. These included witnessing violence in the community, being bullied, facing discrimination, and feeling unsafe in the neighborhood. Such events can affect a young person’s sense of security and shape how they relate to others as they grow older.
The results showed a pattern: as the number of reported adverse childhood experiences increased, health and social outcomes generally became worse. Young adults who reported four or more experiences had substantially higher rates of several problems than those who reported none. Emotional abuse, sexual abuse, discrimination, and witnessing domestic violence showed some of the strongest and most consistent links with poor outcomes. The findings do not mean that every child who experiences adversity will develop mental health or substance use problems. Rather, the results point to a connection between early hardship and increased risk. Other personal, family, and community factors can also affect how a person fares over time.
Temple described emerging adulthood as a period when identity, relationships, education, and risk-related behaviors are still taking shape. Experiences during this stage may influence health and daily life well beyond the teenage years. The study suggests that the effects of childhood adversity can remain visible as young people begin navigating greater independence.
The researchers said the findings support efforts to prevent childhood adversity and provide help to young people who have already experienced it. Trauma-informed care may help by recognizing how past experiences can affect a person’s feelings, behavior, relationships, and sense of safety. The researchers also pointed to the need to address conditions beyond the individual, including neighborhood safety and discrimination.
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Childhood adversity strongly linked to poor mental health in young adults
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